The property acquired for the project by the U.S. Department of State is approximately 10 acres, and the combined area of the six buildings constructed by BL Harbert International is approximately 75,950 square feet.

Constructed facilities on the compound include: a 48,200-square-foot Chancery Building with offices for U.S. diplomatic staff; a 6,800-square-foot Consolidated General Services Office building with a 7,500-square-foot Warehouse; and a 5,600-square-foot Utility Building to support site utilities, such as electrical power transformation and generation, and fire and domestic water treatment.

Logistics are often challenging when working internationally, and obtaining suitable construction materials in sub-Saharan Africa is difficult at best. The Libreville NEC’s construction schedule rested heavily on logistics, since material shipments from the U.S. took, on average, 45 to 60 or more days.  The necessity of looking ahead was crucial to the project staying on time.  This became more important as the project’s trans-shipment port of Algeciras, Spain, became overloaded, thus increasing shipping durations.  In order to combat the growing shipment delays, the construction team, which included both local and expatriate members, was required to increase communication despite language barriers.  Expatriate staff and local foreman were required to communicate daily the quantity of material stock on hand, as well as closely monitor installation methods and report material usage quantities to procurement staff.  Through this team effort of twenty-five different nationalities, the project minimized costly miscommunications.