
U.S. Embassy Compound
Ouagadougou, Burkina FasoSituated on a 12-acre site, the U.S. Embassy Compound in Burkina Faso was successfully completed in 24 months. The compound includes a four-level Chancery building with offices for U.S. diplomatic staff; a single-story utility building; and a recreation facility. Most of the buildings are reinforced concrete structures with ballistics-rated walls, glazing, doors and roof decks.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, the Design-Build team shared architectural renderings of the project with the diplomatic corps in attendance. The Burkina foreign affairs minister commented that he felt that the design was too staid for a country like Burkina Faso – an opinion that the ambassador shared. This led to a wholesale redesign of the architectural treatment of the building. The Design / Build team worked with the owner to explore and agree on an alternate cladding scheme and a significantly revised design with more dramatic and rich color, texture and pattern. These changes were implemented without a modification or extension of the contract.