by Brianna Crandall — March 24, 2014—The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations has opened several new consulates and embassies in countries around the world in recent months, all of which are intended to provide a modern, convenient, and secure workplace for the staff, and all of which were designed to support the U.S. government’s focus on sustainable facilities. OBO maintains that diplomatic facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.
The new U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou, China, is a multi-building complex occupying a 7.5-acre lot in the city’s Pearl River New Town district that will house nearly 400 Consulate staff. The award-winning design includes two office buildings, a U.S. Marine Corps residence, a warehouse with service shops, and three entrance pavilions to welcome employees, visitors, and consular customers.
Numerous features conserve resources and reduce operating costs, including a white, highly reflective roof on the main office building to reduce cooling costs; green roofs on several buildings to help insulate, capture and filter rainwater, and filter city air; and a stormwater retention system. The new facility earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The $267 million project was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of San Francisco, California, and was built by BL Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama, and China Huashi Enterprises of Chengdu, China.
The new U.S. Consulate General in Guayaquil, Ecuador, is a multi-building complex situated on an 11.25-acre site in the San Eduardo neighborhood comprised of a new office building, two access pavilions, a service/utility building, and parking.
The $66.5 million project incorporates numerous sustainable features, including an energy recovery unit that reduces the need for heating and cooling, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and the use of regional and recycled materials.
The facility was designed by Page Southerland Page of Arlington, Virginia, and constructed by Contracting Consulting and Engineering of Annapolis, Maryland.
The new U.S. Embassy complex in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, is a multi-building complex situated on a 12.5-acre site in the Malabo Dos section of the capital that includes a chancery building, a service/utility building, an access pavilion, Chief of Mission residence, Deputy Chief of Mission residence, staff housing, and a recreational facility.
The $71 million project incorporates numerous sustainable features, including an energy recovery unit that reduces the need for heating and cooling, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and the use of regional and recycled materials. The new Embassy is LEED-certified.
The facility was designed by Karn Charuhas Chapman & Twohey (KCCT) of Washington, DC, and constructed by Caddell Construction Co. of Montgomery, Alabama.
OBO also broke ground on the new U.S. Embassy in London recently. The facility will be situated on a 4.9-acre site in the Nine Elms Opportunity Planning Area and will include a chancery, a consular section, support spaces, a U.S. Marine residence, access pavilions, and parking.
The Embassy’s design incorporates sustainable features at the leading edge of practice, including aspirations for carbon neutrality, a self-sufficient water system, and goals for minimum certification at the level of LEED Gold and Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) Excellent.
Designed by KieranTimberlake of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the new Embassy is expected to be completed in 2017, and will be constructed by B.L. Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama.
