Charge d’Affaires Kimberly R. Furnish, Principal Deputy Director J. Douglas Dykehouse of the State Department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), Brigadier General Maurizio Calabrese of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Mission staff, and Bahamian officials gathered for a July 4 ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the near completion of construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Nassau.
A symbol of the United States’ commitment to the Bahamas and the Caribbean region, the new embassy will enable the mission’s important bilateral relationships to continue and expand. An estimated $80 million was invested in the local economy during the project, and employed over 160 local workers during its construction.
The design of the new embassy is inspired by local Bahamian architecture and focuses on an engaging and accessible experience for staff and visitors that enhances the integrity of the existing neighborhood. Energy-efficient features include LED lighting, solar panels, stormwater collection system for on-site reuse, water-cooled chillers, sun control and shading devices on the façade to reduce energy use, and indigenous landscape plantings. The art collection is a true cross-cultural collaboration, featuring works from both American and Bahamian artists. Of note are the site-specific wooden sculptures including a 200-year-old tamarind tree reused from the site, whose transformation promotes storytelling and conversation around Bahamian mythology.
The result is an embassy that combines cultural sensitivity, functionality, and sustainability to ensure that the facility not only meets the operational needs of the diplomatic mission, but also serves as a model of innovation and responsible development in international diplomacy.
Ennead Architects of New York was the design architect, and Caddell Construction of Montgomery, Alabama built the embassy, with Integrus Architecture of Seattle serving as architect of record.
Find out more about the project here https://oboportfolio.state.gov/nassau/,
OBO provides the most effective facilities for United States diplomacy abroad. Since the beginning of the Department’s Capitol Security Construction Program in 1999, OBO has completed 180 new diplomatic facilities and has more than 50 active projects in design or construction around the world.
For more information, please contact Meghan Seybold at [email protected] or visit https://www.state.gov/obo,
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