U.S. Embassy in Niamey, Niger, West Africa, located in the Yantala neighborhood of Niamey (Credit: state.gov/niamey)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The new U.S. Embassy in Niamey, Niger has been certified LEED Platinum by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). USGBC’s LEED green building program certifies the design, construction, maintenance, and operations of high-performance buildings. On June 24, 2021, the Department of State dedicated new U.S. Embassy in Niamey. The diplomatic compound is situated on on the existing 11-acre Embassy campus. The certification marks the first Platinum project in western Africa and is the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations’ (OBO) third Platinum certification in its diplomatic portfolio. Niamey joins 55 U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide with LEED certifications, including 2 other Platinum projects, 18 Gold, 20 Silver, and 14 Certified, according to a statement by the State Department’s office of the spokesperson.
U.S. Embassy in Niamey, Niger, located in the Yantala neighborhood of Niamey (Credit: state.gov/niamey)
The Miller Hull Partnership of Seattle, Washington is the design architect and B.L. Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama is the construction contractor with Page as Architect of Record. Approximately 1,700 American, local, and third-country national employees have been involved in project construction, including 1,500 Nigeriens. Photovoltaic arrays produce up to 712 KW, more than half of the facility’s needs, while consumption is minimized with finely tuned screens and canopies that reduce solar heat gain by nearly 60 percent. By responding to the local climate, many of the energy and water-saving measures are integrated into the project’s design and construction. Additional proven, future-forward technologies are incorporated to reuse water or capture wasted energy, such as waste-water treatment, stormwater detention, and energy recapture systems.
The permanent art collection, curated by the Office of Art in Embassies, encompasses 36 works in a variety of media — paint, wire, steel, wood, fabric, and photography — created by U.S. and Nigerien artists. Installed throughout the public spaces of the building, the collection celebrates the cultural connections between Niger and the United States. Tower (Shawn Smith’s large-scale sculpture of the Nigerien giraffe, created to honor Niger’s pride in and conservation efforts for this local species) (Credit: state.gov/niamey)
“Significant, sustainable architecture inspired by West Afrcia” – Miller Hull Design Architect
“Site redevelopment encompasses new community and support facilities, additions to existing structures including the Marine Security Guard Residence, a new and more secure entry sequence, upgraded utilities and the addition of on-property staff parking,” according to Miller Hull. The Seattle-based architect firm was awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) to design a new embassy in Niamey, Niger, under the Excellence Initiative. The program ensures diplomatic facilities meet functional and security requirements of missions abroad while also demonstrating American values and ingenuity in architecture, engineering, technology, construction, sustainability, art and culture.
“Design strategies relate to local climate and regional context, with native landscape patterns woven throughout the site in structural and finish elements. Cues are taken from endemic regional forms and materials like sand, concrete, and red metal oxide primer; a series of screens and canopies evocative of traditionally used acacia limbs shield buildings from the intense West African sun.”
-Miller Hull Design Architect U.S. Embassy Niamey
