New American Embassy Annex by Krueck + Sexton Architects Starts Construction in Kenya

CHICAGO, IL—In a ceremony on May 17, 2018, United States Ambassador Robert Godec broke ground on a new U.S. Embassy Annex in Nairobi, Kenya. Designed by Chicago-based Krueck + Sexton Architects, the facility will significantly expand the capabilities of the government outpost, which was established in 1964.

Mark Sexton, FAIA, LEED AP, founding principal of Krueck + Sexton Architects, said, “Our entire design team is very excited to see this project, which reflects an important and enduring international partnership, reach this milestone. The new embassy annex will provide a secure, modern, and environmentally sustainable platform for diplomacy—fulfilling the promise of architecture as an agent of positive change. 

Targeting LEED Silver, the new office annex adds rigorous energy-saving and sustainability goals that aim to reduce environmental impact, optimize building performance, and enhance the self-sufficiency of the compound. The façade optimizes solar orientation by means of an integrated approach to sun shading through breezeways and deep overhangs. Landscape linking the new building to the existing compound is designed as an educational habitat, highlighting native and endangered species specific to Kenya and Nairobi. 

One of only 16 firms selected by the Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) to participate in its Worldwide Design Services Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract program, Krueck + Sexton brings both technical expertise and creative prowess to the project. Under the IDIQ, the firm also designed the expanded U.S. Embassy campus at Port Moresby in Papua, New Guinea. One of Krueck + Sexton’s domestic federal projects, the Grogan|Dove FBI Building in Miramar, FL, is the recipient of an American Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum and a GSA Citation for Design Excellence, which recognizes work that represents the dignity, enterprise, vigor, and stability of the United States government.

Rounding out the Nairobi project team is Integrus Architecture of Spokane, Washington (architect of record)  and Caddell Construction of Montgomery, Alabama (contractor).

About Krueck + Sexton Architects

Krueck + Sexton Architects is an internationally recognized firm based in Chicago that has created elegant, inspiring work for nearly four decades. With buildings characterized by intelligent performance, meaningful user experiences, and refined quality, its designs conscientiously connect architecture and the environment, the client, and the community.