Washington, DC (1 July 2010) The new U.S. Embassy Compound (NEC) in Khartoum, Sudan, which was completed in March 2010, was dedicated on June 24. The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has built 27 new facilities in Africa with an additional 10 projects in design or construction on the continent. The Sudan NEC is one of ten design-build U.S. embassy or consulate compounds in Africa designed by PageSoutherlandPage.

The design of the $172 million compound incorporates numerous energy saving and sustainable features and is targeting LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The PageSoutherlandPage design team conducted significant research into the architectural tradition of Sudan and its regional location within the greater African continent.  The history of Sudan is reflected in building imagery that reflects the influence of Egyptian, Turkish and British colonial eras. In the course of its research, the PageSoutherlandPage design team looked closely at the Djenne Mosque in Mali, built in 1905 from 11th century designs, as an apt example of classical Sudanese architecture. This amazing structure—the world’s largest mud-brick building—echoes the spirit of its desert surroundings; under the intense African sun the building visually merges into the landscape in complete harmony with its surroundings.

The design theme for the Khartoum NEC is based on this traditional desert architecture aesthetic.  Simple, pure geometric building forms have vertically oriented punched window openings protected against the fierce sun.  Building façade surface articulation is intentionally restrained, revealing a fine degree of stone veneer coursing upon close inspection.

The design team carefully sited the two office buildings with an interconnecting pedestrian arcade framing a formal vehicular arrival zone.  An outdoor feature element, the entry plaza, unifies the buildings with a covered walkway hinting at ancient temple design. The covered arcade culminates in porticos at both ends symmetrically fronting the office building entrances and establishing ceremonial entry points.  By using the traditional arcade as the connecting element, the site was given a sense of visual organization and hierarchy with the additional benefit of providing a shaded walkway between the two office facilities.  At the opposite end of the long chancery building is a separate consular entry arcade and garden waiting area leading to the consular building entrance.

Because of the unusual duration of the design-build project, the team members include the entire PageSoutherlandPage Washington, DC office team, particularly Neil Mehta, Anthony Alafriz,  Jameson Terry, Orisa Velasquez Merlo, Erin Nash, Marquisha Powell, Honore Carmona, John Gies, Ben Webne, Hande Yarimbiyik, Rob McGuire, Elizabeth Kirkwood, Hunter Cotterman, Sarah Odom, Bill Brown,  James Wright and Thomas McCarthy. B.L. Harbert International constructed the NEC.

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