By creating a welcoming and technologically advanced design, the new U.S. Embassy Campus in Pristina reflects the initiatives set forth in the U.S. Department of State’s Excellence Initiative. The campus style configuration consolidates structures around an outdoor plaza. The embassy, which accommodates 450 staff, is made up of several major elements: a five-story office tower, conference center/pavilion, and Marine residence. A warehouse and workshop component is integrated into the building. The plaza serves as the focal point of the campus and is used for gatherings and special events. Parking for staff and visitors is also integrated into the landscape on terraced levels.

The site surrounding the compound is currently a mixed-use area with commercial, light industrial, retail, residential, office, and government uses. The neighboring buildings range in height and have an eclectic mix of materials. The siting of the embassy and its landscaped perimeter will help to establish the standards for future redevelopment of the adjacent parcels. The embassy is situated to maximize the distant mountain views to the south, and eastern views of the center of Pristina; at the same time, it creates an urban edge tight to the developed north. The interior work environments are flexible high-performance spaces that accommodate a variety of configurations. Dispersed collaboration areas provide meeting, working, and social spaces for the staff and their visitors.

The new embassy incorporates a number of strategies for efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. The external sunshade system, the green roofs, and the hybrid geothermal system — which leverages the on-site retention pond as a heat sink — combine to reduce energy consumption by more than 45%. In addition to stabilizing heating and cooling, the pond helps reduce building water consumption by more than 70%. These features, as well as other energy conservation measures, contributed to the embassy’s LEED Gold certification.