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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesperson
For Immediate Release August 6, 2015 2015
MEDIA NOTE
The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Breaks Ground on
New U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe
In an important symbol of enduring friendship with Zimbabwe, U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe D. Bruce Wharton, alongside local officials, broke ground today on the new U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe. The new Embassy will be located on a 16-acre site in the Bluff Hill Township area, approximately 6.2 miles northwest of the city center. The campus will include an office building and associated support facilities. Completion of the project is anticipated in 2018. AECOM of Washington, D.C., is the design architect, and Page of Washington, D.C., is the architect of record. B.L. Harbert, International of Birmingham, Alabama, is the construction contractor. The project will incorporate numerous sustainable features, including energy efficient lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and rainwater harvesting. Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, OBO has completed 121 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 46 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 our staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution. For further information, please contact Christine Foushee at [email protected] or (703) 875-4131, or visit www.state.gov/obo.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE BUREAU OF OVERSEAS BUILDINGS OPERATIONS
U.S. EMBASSY HARARE, ZIMBABWE GROUNDBREAKING FACT SHEET
AUGUST 2015
AECOM
Design Architect AECOM
Architect of Record Page
General Contractor B.L. Harbert International
Site 16.5 acres
Office Space 12,500 square meters
General InformatIon
• The new Embassy will be located on a 16-acre site in the Bluff Hill Township area, approximately 6.2 miles northwest of the city center.
• The multi-building campus will include a chancery building, support services annex, warehouse, utility building, Marine Security Guard Residence, and other facilities for the Embassy community.
• The new Embassy will provide a safe, secure, and modern workplace for over 400 Embassy staff.
• The new Embassy is projected to be complete in 2018.
DesIGn
• The building will meet all Department of State standards for life safety and security and will provide open, light-filled spaces for the employees, including a protected courtyard that takes advantage of Harare’s beautiful climate.
• Design elements will incorporate the use of local materials such as brick and stone, and is inspired by both the structures of Great Zimbabwe and by local weaving traditions.
• The finished campus will maintain the original topography and plantings to the extent possible, enhancing the natural setting with naturalized landscape.
sustaInabIlIty
• The campus utilizes indigenous and adapted plant species for reduced irrigation demand.
• The campus also features sunshades to reduce solar heat-gain, low consumption water fixtures, and automated building systems to reduce operating costs.
• The campus has an automated daylight harvesting system that adjusts office area lighting in response to the amount of daylight entering the space to maintain a pre-set lighting level at work-area desktops.
ConstruCtIon
• Approximately 600 American, local, and other workers will be involved in construction of the project.
AECOM
art
• The permanent art collection, curated by the Office of Art in Embassies, will feature works in a variety of media by artists from both the United States and Zimbabwe. Each piece will be carefully selected for its quality and ability to promote cross-cultural dialogue through the arts.
• Highlights will include site-specific commissions that reflect a strong yet nuanced understanding of U.S. and Zimbabwean cultural heritage. The collection as a whole will celebrate cultural connections while relating to themes commonly explored by contemporary artists in both countries.
Contact Information Karen Kelley Christine Foushee Counselor for Public Affairs, U.S. Embassy Harare OBO Director of External Affairs +263-4-758801 | [email protected] 703-875-4131 | [email protected]
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE BUREAU OF OVERSEAS BUILDINGS OPERATIONS www.state.gov/obo
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesperson
For Immediate Release May 2, 2019
MEDIA NOTE
The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Dedicates the New U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe
As a display of our enduring friendship, U.S. Ambassador Brian A. Nichols, and Director of the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Tad Davis, with local officials, dedicated the new U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe today.
The new U.S. Embassy provides a safe and secure platform for diplomacy and includes a new chancery, a Marine security guard residence, and support facilities. It includes design elements reminiscent of Great Zimbabwe and locally sourced materials, such as brick and black granite that reflect our appreciation for Zimbabwe’s culture and responsible use of natural resources.
AECOM of Washington, D.C. is the design architect, and Page of Washington, D.C. is the architect of record. B.L. Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama, is the construction contractor.
Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, OBO has completed 157 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 59 projects in design or under construction.
OBO provides safe, secure, functional, and resilient facilities that represent the U.S. government to the host nation and support our staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities represent American values and the best in American architecture, design, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.
For further information, please contact Christine Foushee at [email protected], or visit www.state.gov/obo.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE BUREAU OF OVERSEAS BUILDINGS OPERATIONS
U.S. EMBASSY HARARE ZIMBABWEDEDICATION FACT SHEET
MAY 2019
LOCATION
• The new Embassy is located on a 16-acre site in the Bluff Hill Township area, approximately 6.2 miles northwest of the city center. The multi-building campus includes a chancery building, support services annex, warehouse, utility building, Marine Security Guard Residence, and fitness facilities for the Embassy community.
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
• The campus draws inspiration from the traditional culture, climate, and geography of Zimbabwe, articulated in a thoroughly modern way. The site is developed with fluid building forms and features that flow through the gently undulating terrain. The chancery building references the ancient structure of Great Zimbabwe in proportion, design elements, and materials. The receding slope of the exterior walls of the main buildings offer a subtle contrast to the vertically aligned windows, doors, and porticos.
• Red brick, black stone granite, and beige brick pavers emulate earth tones found in southern Africa and form the basis of the color palette throughout the building, with a range of textures from raw stone through brick, wood, polished stone and glass.
• Two staircases feature sustainably harvested and locally sourced Zimbabwe teak.
• Native and adapted plantings are featured throughout the compound. Care was taken to retain a beautiful preserve of native Acacia and Msasa trees - many over 20m in height - in the northeast corner of the site.
• The electrical, water treatment, and fire pump services have been integrated into support buildings and set back from the street so the height and bulk create less impact on the neighboring residences.
• Over 1600 Zimbabwean, American, and other workers were involved in construction of the project.
Design Architect AECOM
Architect of Record Page
General Contractor B.L. Harbert Interantional
Total Project Budget $292M
Key Dates Design Start March 5, 2013
Groundbreaking August 6, 2015
Move-In January 10, 2019
Dedciation May 2, 2019
SUSTAINABILITY
The project targets LEED® Silver certification. Sustainable features include:
• Daylight harvesting that adjusts office lighting in response to daylight to maintain a pre-set lighting level;
• A narrow building footprint that maximizes natural light;
• Window shading systems to reduce solar glare and heat gain;
• Photovoltaic panels integrated into the parking canopy to offset electricity usage;
• Low-consumption water fixtures, effluent treatment & recycling, and rainwater collection system and reuse;
• Native plantings to minimize irrigation requirements and produce year-round texture, color, and shade.
C I
Chris ne FousheeOBO Director of External Aff airs
Stacy LombaU.S. Embassy Press Offi cer
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEBUREAU OF OVERSEAS BUILDINGS OPERATIONSwww.facebook.com/stateobowww.twitter.com/state_obowww.instagram.com/state_obo
ART
• The permanent art collection features twenty-nine works by Zimbabwean and American artists. Each piece was chosen for its quality and ability to promote cross-cultural dialogue through the visual arts.
• Highlights include a dramatic, 2 by 6 meter drawing “Forever’s People” by Robert Pruitt that greets visitors entering the lobby. In the atrium, Yael Kanarek’s suspended painted-metal sculpture “Day & Night” is composed of the words DAY and NIGHT in the nineteen languages spoken in Zimbabwe. Moffat Takadiwa’s “One Letter,” a wall-mounted sculptural work made completely of computer keys, surprises guests in the hallway that leads to the atrium. Various Shona art sculptures decorate the grounds right outside of the cafeteria. These works and others celebrate cultural connections while relating to themes commonly explored by contemporary artists in both countries.
GalleryStair
