The Los Angeles Post

The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Receives LEED® Gold Certifications for U.S. Embassy Pristina and U.S. Consulate General Nuevo Laredo

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07/12/2022 12:51 PM EDT

 

Office of the Spokesperson

The U.S. Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo, and the U.S. Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council. Gold certification signifies that the buildings meet exacting standards for energy use, lighting, water, and material use, and incorporate a variety of sustainable strategies.

These projects utilize multiple energy-saving features that enhance the campuses’ performance including a contemporary building envelope in Pristina that reduces heat gain, water-efficient landscaping, and a wastewater management system that has created a reality of nearly Net-Zero Water.

OBO employed a holistic approach to environmental stewardship, using low flow plumbing fixtures, efficient lighting and HVAC solutions, rainwater harvesting, and other sustainability measures in order to reduce strain on the water supply and strengthen the buildings’ capacity to conserve energy.

The U.S. Embassy in Pristina was designed by Davis Brody Bond with B.L. Harbert International as general contractor and Page as architect of record. The U.S. Consulate General in Nuevo Laredo was designed by Moore Ruble Yudell with B.L. Harbert International as general contractor and Page as architect of record.

These missions are a part of 57 U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide that have achieved LEED certification: three prestigious Platinum certifications, 20 Gold certifications, and 34 Silver or LEED Certified missions.

Since the start of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program in 1999, OBO has completed 171 new diplomatic facilities. OBO currently has more than 50 active projects either in design or under construction worldwide.

OBO provides safe, secure, functional, and resilient facilities that represent the U.S. Government to the host nation and that support U.S. diplomats in advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives abroad.