The new Consulate General affirms the longstanding friendship and commitment between the United States and Mexico, designed to meet evolving security standards for diplomatic buildings while becoming an impactful, and welcoming part of the host city. With the completion of the new Consulate General, a palpable optimism and newfound sense of stability has led to a reinvigoration of the surrounding community fostered by its steadying presence. This is referred to as the “Embassy Effect”.
The architectural identity and unifying concept for the project is the extensive shade canopy, referencing the latilla, a typology common throughout the region. It allows for movement while providing shade and enclosure creating a tempered transitional zone between the highly contrasting exterior and interior environments.
The site design maximizes long-term sustainability and resiliency relative to the surrounding neighborhood. Heavy seasonal rains typically flood the city’s streets surrounding the project site. So as not to exacerbate localized flooding, the landscape and water catchment system were designed to manage, collect, and reuse rainwater on site.
Bio Richärd | Kennedy Architects is a studio-based, integrated architectural and interiors practice focusing primarily on Higher Education, Research, Public and Academic Library design, and
Diplomatic Facilities. The studio was founded in 1996 by architect James Richärd FAIA, and Stephen Kennedy AIA. Each of the principals of the firm was educated at the University of Arizona in the Tucson Sonoran Desert, developing sensitivity to the context of the region and environment. To that end, the firm remains an intimate scale of 25 highly skilled and motivated people.
Other prizes College of Idaho: Cruzen-Murray Library Awards: • 2022 AIA/ALA Library Building Award • 2021 The Chicago Athenaeum, International Architecture Award • 2019 SEAOA, Merit Award • 2018 AIA Arizona, Honor Award • 2018 AIA Western Mountain Region, Design Excellence Honor Award East Las Vegas Library Awards: Certified LEED Gold • 2020 NAIOP Southern Nevada, Honor Award, Special Use • 2019 AIA Nevada, Citation Award, Built Category • 2019 MUDA Award, Public Places Category • 2019 ULI Placemaking Award, Community Place OBO: Matamoros, Mexico Awards: Certified LEED Gold • 2021 The Chicago Athanaeum, International Architecture Award • 2021 BuildSouth Awards - International • 2021 AIA Northern Virginia: Excellence in Institutional Architecture • 2020 ENR Global Best Projects, Best Government Building Asante Library Awards: Certified LEED Silver • 2022 AIA/ALA, Library Building Awards • 2022 Arizona Forward: Environmental Excellence Award • 2022 RED Awards, Recreation or Public Works Project of the Year • 2021 RED Awards, Merit Award • 2021 The Chicago Athenaeum, International Architecture Award • 2021 SEAOA, Merit Award
