Maputo, Mozambique
The New Embassy Compound in Maputo is a multi-building complex, situated on a 10-acre site overlooking the Indian Ocean. A symbol of the United States’ commitment to Mozambique, it provides Embassy employees with a safe, secure, sustainable, and modern workplace.
Construction of the new embassy compound included a new office building, a generator/utility building comprised of emergency power generation and electrical distribution equipment, a support annex building, three Compound Access Control facilities, marine security guard residence, boathouse/cabana, vehicle parking structure, ADA compliant civil and architectural features, Technical Security Services (TSS), state-of-the-art life/safety systems, and landscaping.
Owner
Department Of State,
Overseas Buildings
Operations
Project Type
Design/Bid/Build
The Maputo NEC is a $215 million construction project and is a completely self-sufficient compound that includes power generation, a wastewater treatment facility, and a potable water treatment facility.
This project, which had classified scope, received LEED Silver status and presented unique challenges of shipping secured containers to a remote location.
We continued construction efforts through the COVID-19 global pandemic, working hand-in-hand with OBO and following local labor regulations. Even with a heavily depleted workforce at times due to local restrictions and COVID outbreaks, we pushed progress forward.
Sustainability and energy-saving elements were implemented to reduce environmental impact, optimize building performance, and enhance resiliency.
This project has come with many challenges that we demonstrated our resiliency and ability to overcome.
Close proximity to the Indian Ocean caused highly corrosive conditions. Corrosion prevention measures were taken on all equipment, architectural features and infrastructure exposed to the exterior elements.
As part of the Design Excellence program, this project brought many architectural challenges including the high-performance concrete “fins.” Each fin is unique and was precast individually in molds.
Difficulties with the complex façade included incorporating the FE/BR windows and hardline walls into the architectural design. The interiors of the buildings include multiple types of exotic local wood only found in the country of Mozambique, which made procurement planning vital to successfully coordinate harvesting schedules and drying times to meet the project schedule.
The property originally served as storm-water drainage for the neighborhood above. Therefore, a conveyance channel system (which required a culvert system to flow the water beneath the existing public roadway and into the ocean) was constructed to direct water down the sides of the compound. Additionally, new sustainable landscape features include coastal dune restoration, native and regionally adapted plants, and water-efficient irrigation that uses treated wastewater.
