Design and construction of the U.S. Embassy Compound in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, consists of a four-story Chancery accommodating different U.S. agencies and two Ambassador’s offices, a two-story, residential Marine Security Guard Quarters, General Service Offices and Maintenance Annex, a Utility Building, Recreation Building, a Swimming Pool with solar heating system, basketball court, double tennis court and playground.

Since the project was executed in phases, and due to the fact that it took place on an active embassy compound, BL Harbert worked closely with the client’s representatives to coordinate each phase of construction while accommodating ongoing post operations.

For this project, BLHI incorporated several sustainable design methods and products to allow the new structure to have minimal impact on the surrounding environment.  A solar water heating system was installed on the roof of the Recreation Building to provide heating to the swimming pool, which helps to minimize the carbon footprint.  The use of green and recycled-content building materials also contributed to shrinking the building’s carbon footprint, and BLHI also instituted a Construction Waste Management plan, which helped to divert waste materials from landfills into recycling plants for reuse.  Through these initiatives, the Addis Ababa NEC project recently achieved LEED Certified status, and is the first LEED certified project in Ethiopia.