Panama City, Panama — One of the biggest construction projects in Panama City — a city booming with construction projects — is the new $70 million U.S. Embassy being built in the northern suburb of Clayton.

The construction phase of the 28-month project is currently wrapping up and the new facility will officially open for operation on July 4, said Emile Corneille, Regional Project Director for the U.S. State Department's Overseas Building Operations in Panama.

The new embassy is part of a sweeping push to construct new and more secure facilities that kicked off in 2001 when the Overseas Building Operations was given bureau status and placed under the direction of U.S. Army Maj. Gen. (ret) Charles Williams.

Since then more than three-dozen new embassy compounds have been completed and a similar number have been initiated at a cost of $17.5 billion. At the present time, there are seven embassies under construction by the group worldwide, including Panama.

The Panama embassy is being constructed using what the U.S. Dept. of State's Overseas Buildings Operations calls the Standard Embassy Design — a core design used for all of the department's embassies.

It's a system that has been in place since 2003 and the Panama embassy — with 156,000-square-feet of floor space in the main building alone — will be the largest facility constructed using it when it is completed.

"It allows us to reduce a ten-year process to about a year because we are 'customizing' the same design for the particular requirements of each location," Corneille said. The system is constantly upgraded through "lessons learned" sessions that follow-up each construction effort.

The current embassy on Balboa Avenue on the Pacific oceanfront was built under the supervision of the Foreign Buildings Office of the Department of State in 1941. The limited space at the site has long required the various services of the embassy and consulate to be relocated to offices across the city.

When completed, the new embassy will house about 350 employees and all related services will be housed under one roof, Corneille said.

The need for space — a minimum of 10 acres — forced the selection of a site about ten minutes out of the city in the suburb of Clayton. Despite the distance from the city center, the rapid growth of the area it won't long be a remote location. Already there are housing developments popping up nearby.

In fact, one of the biggest short-term concerns for the facility is traffic and efforts are already underway with Panama City authorities to upgrade intersections and roadways near the embassy to handle the expected increases in vehicle traffic.

The distance isn't much of a concern for the day-to-day operations of the embassy, Emile explained. "It is pretty much self-sufficient," he said.

The embassy is being built as part of a design/build contract with to Caddell Construction Inc. from Montgomery Alabama. Twelve Panamanian sub contractors were hired to do various portions of work as well.

Since the construction is being done with US materials, "logistics must be perfect," Emile said. "Getting the right stuff at the right time is the key for making it work."

C.J. Schexnayder

The building is separated into two sections 'classified' and 'unclassified' and the security to pass between them is regulated by the layout of bridges and doorways across the atrium. During construction, the crews allowed to work on the 'classified' section are those with the contractor only and must go through additional levels of security.

These sections are roughly divided by a four storey atrium that will house the 160-seat cafeteria at the bottom. Walkways across this broad open space connect the 'neighborhood' office design while providing strict access points to ensure security.

The facility has been designed with specific environmental concerns in mind. When completed it will be designated a green building by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

At the most basic level, the positioning of the building was designed to minimize heat gain — a serious consideration given the sub-tropical climate. The minimized east-west facades are perpendicular to the rising and setting sun, reducing their exposure significantly.

Windows are a good example of how security is meshed with environmental practicality. The large blast resistant frames are concealed by stone to limit the exposure to the harsh humidity of Panama. Inside, low maintenance sunscreens reduce heat and glare.

But with the window extending all the way to the 10-foot-tall ceilings, natural light is also allowed to permeate the interior of the building reducing electricity costs.

In the end, the new embassy will be an important symbol of the U.S. commitment in the country, Corneille said.

"It is a visible reminder that we are here to stay and that we are a serious partner for the future," he said.