by Brianna Crandall — June 15, 2015—In May, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) announced the final selection of design and engineering teams for the worldwide Architecture/Engineering (A/E) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Support Services contract, as well as contracts for a new embassy and a renewable energy project.
The final firms selected for the Support Services contract are:
- AECOM
- Caples Jefferson Architects
- Davis Brody Bond
- EYP, Inc.
- Jacobs Government Services
- Moore Ruble Yudell Architects/Planners
The firms will support the Department’s planning, construction, and facility rehabilitation efforts at U.S. missions worldwide.
New U.S. Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo
As an important symbol of the enduring friendship with the Republic of Kosovo, U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Tracey Ann Jacobson broke ground on the new U.S. Embassy in Pristina in May.
The new Embassy will be situated on a 12-acre site in central Pristina, and will include a chancery, a U.S. Marine Corps residence, a support annex and utility building, and facilities for the Embassy community. The $215.5 million project will incorporate numerous sustainable features, and targets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Most of the workers that will be involved in the construction of the new Embassy will be from the local region.
The design architect is Davis Brody Bond of New York, New York, and Page of Washington, DC, is the architect of record. BL Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama, will construct the project, with anticipated completion in late 2017.
Renewable energy project in Valletta, Malta
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malta Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley presided over an opening ceremony in May alongside OBO and local officials to celebrate commencement of construction for an energy-savings project at the U.S. Embassy in Valletta.
The project includes two photovoltaic systems to provide solar power, a small wind turbine, and a solar pool heater. The Department of State has contracted with Solar Solutions LTD of Malta on the project, which is scheduled to be completed in March 2016.
Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, OBO has completed 121 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 39 projects in design or under construction.
OBO’s mission is to provide safe, secure, and functional facilities that represent the U.S. Government to the host nation and support staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities are expected to represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.
