New U.S. Consulate in Matamoros, Mexico Achieves LEED® Gold
The U.S. Consulate Compound in Matamoros, Mexico achieves Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The new Consulate General sits on a site near the center of the city between two international bridges and next to the city’s primary public park, the Parque Olímpico. Its consular or public-facing entrance opens right onto the park, creating a welcoming and open presence in the surrounding Jardín neighborhood.
After security, sustainability and stewardship are the two most important aspects of any new diplomatic building for the OBO, and they are primary features of the Matamoros Consulate Compound. It achieved LEED Gold status and was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. The latilla’s PTFE fabric panels and structure also play an important role in improving the project’s performance and resiliency. They reduce solar gain and the amount of energy required to cool the buildings while allowing heat rising from below to pass through the open weave of the panels. On the north side of the compound, the canopy doesn’t extend over the building, which allows more diffuse natural daylight into the workspaces without meaningfully increasing the solar gain.
While the climate in Matamoros is typically hot and dry, heavy rains in early fall can cause the Rio Grande to rise and flood the city’s streets. Part of the 7.6-acre site had to be elevated by a meter for security reasons, and so could have exacerbated the flooding problem. To resolve that problem, the landscape and water catchment system were designed to absorb or capture 90 percent of rainwater runoff. In dryer seasons, wastewater from the buildings is treated and used to supply all of the irrigation needs.
You can read more about this project through the link below.
