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The New Embassy Compound (NEC) of the US in Khartoum, Sudan, designed by Virginia-based firm PageSoutherlandPage, has scooped the Design-Build Institute of America’s (DBIA) Best Overall Project Award of 2010.

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The U.S. Department of State dedicated the NEC, featuring safe and functional design integrated with sustainable elements, on 24 June 2010.

The Best Overall Project Award is given to only one project each year at the annual Design-Build Conference and Expo. The award was presented to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO), the construction firm, B.L. Harbert International, and PageSoutherlandPage, the design architect for the project.

The NEC consists of nine buildings including a chancery, office annex, Marine Security Guard Quarters, recreation facility, support annex with maintenance shops, utility building, and three compound access control structures. The design of the $172 million compound incorporates numerous energy saving and sustainable features and is targeting LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The landscaping design of the new NEC site creates a unified environment for its nine buildings, in an attempt to demonstrate the US Government’s commitment to sustainable design as well as excellence in architecture.

The NEC in Khartoum also won the Design-Build Institute of America National Design-Build Award in the ‘Public Sector Over $50 Million’ category. The NEC is one of ten design-build US embassy or consulate compounds in Africa – and one of 16 worldwide – designed by the Arlington, Virginia office of PageSoutherlandPage. The awards were presented on 18 October 2010.