In an important symbol of our enduring friendship with Sri Lanka, U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung officially dedicated the new U.S. Embassy in Colombo on October 28.

The new embassy is situated on the existing, expanded embassy site along the seafront in central Colombo and provides a secure, modern, sustainable, and resilient platform for U.S. diplomacy in Sri Lanka. It models the latest in energy-efficient features and is on target to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Silver certification—a globally recognized mark of achievement in high-performance, best-in-class, green buildings.

ZGF of Portland, Oregon, was the design architect and Integrus Architecture of Seattle, Washington, was the architect of record for the project. Caddell Construction Company, LLC of Montgomery, Alabama, constructed the complex, injecting roughly $90 million into the local economy.

Learn more about the project here.

Since the start of the Department’s Capital Security Construction Program in 1999, the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has completed 172 new diplomatic facilities. OBO currently has more than 50 active projects in the design phase or under construction worldwide.

OBO provides safe, secure, functional, and resilient facilities that represent the U.S. government to the host nation and that support U.S. diplomats in advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives abroad.

For further information, please contact OBO External Affairs at OBO-EA@state.gov or visit www.state.gov/obo.