United States Breaks Ground on New U.S. Embassy in Pristina, Kosovo

Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations — As an important symbol of the enduring friendship with the Republic of Kosovo, U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Tracey Ann Jacobson broke ground on the new U.S. Embassy in Pristina today.

The new Embassy will be situated on a 12-acre site in central Pristina, and will include a chancery, a U.S. Marine Corps residence, a support annex and utility building, and facilities for the Embassy community. The $215.5 million project will incorporate numerous sustainable features and targets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Most of the workers that will be involved in the construction of the new Embassy will be from the local region.

The design architect is Davis Brody Bond of New York, New York, and Page of Washington, D.C., is the architect of record. BL Harbert International of Birmingham, Alabama, will construct the project, with anticipated completion in late 2017.

Since 1999, as part of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has completed 121 new diplomatic facilities and has an additional 39 projects in design or under construction.

OBO’s mission is 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.