U.S. EMBASSY IN MADAGASCAR RECEIVES GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION

The following excerpt is from a U.S. State Department e-mail:
Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations Announces LEED® Silver Certification for U.S. Embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar
Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC
March 27, 2012
The Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations announced today that the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) has awarded the newly constructed U.S. Embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar the Silver Level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Certification.

This U.S. Embassy is the first building in Madagascar to earn LEED® Certification, and only the fifth LEED® certified building in Africa, four of which are U.S. diplomatic facilities.

Antananarivo joins U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Sofia, Bulgaria; Panama City, Panama; Johannesburg, South Africa; Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo; and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso as LEED® certified U.S. diplomatic facilities.

The embassy was designed to reduce energy costs by incorporating sun shades for the façade, occupancy sensors, and solar hot water. The building conserves water through the installation of low-flow and low-flush plumbing fixtures. All consumed water is treated at an on-site wastewater treatment plant. The cleansed water is reused for irrigation and infiltrated on-site, replenishing the ground water.

LEED® certification is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. LEED® certified buildings are designed to lower operating costs while increasing asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, be healthier and safer for occupants, and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

The Embassy in Antananarivo was constructed by B.L. Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama; and designed by Page Southerland Page of Arlington, Virginia. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing design was completed by H&A Architects and Engineers of Glen Allen, Virginia.

Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, OBO has completed 88 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 41 projects in design and construction. The program has successfully moved more than 27,000 people in safer facilties, furthering OBO’s mission to provide safe, secure and functional facilities that represent the U.S. Government to the host nation and support our staff in the achievement of U.S. foreign policy objectives. These facilities should represent American values and the best in American architecture, engineering, technology, sustainability, art, culture, and construction execution.