New US embassy compound one third complete

Now one third of the way complete, the new United States Embassy in Nassau is targeting a 2023 third quarter completion date, following delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes.

Project Director Stephen Ziegenfuss said there are currently 80 Bahamians working on the $300 million compound and he anticipated that number to grow to more than 100, as the project moves out of its initial concrete buildout stage.

“We’re about a third of the way finished towards completion. We had a completion date for April of 2023, we’re behind schedule. We’re looking for a completion date of probably September of 2023. The reason for that is because obviously our biggest impact has been COVID-19 and the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on and so we don’t know what the future is going to bring for us,” he said in an interview with Guardian Business.

“So far we have about 80 Bahamians working on the site. The contract is being held by Caddell Construction International, they do a lot work for the US Department of State worldwide and they have an international team that builds these embassies around the world. They take advantage of experience from other projects and they move those people to other projects. So right now they have about 200 people from the countries of Turkey and India.

“There’s about 80 Bahamians currently, and that number should grow to probably a little bit over 100 as we move from concrete work and structural work that we’re doing now to the fit out of the building, which includes mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems as well as architectural finishes. The important thing to remember again is this is an international operation and international program, so that Bahamians who show their expertise do have the opportunity to move to other countries and work on embassies in other places.”

The US Embassy broke ground in October 2019. The construction contract was for a total of $217 million and land acquisition and other miscellaneous expenses took the total cost of the project to just over $300 million.

Ziegenfuss said while the majority of labor and material to build the project is not from The Bahamas, the construction of the multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art facility will have a far-reaching economic impact on Nassau.

“There are several impacts. Obviously the people who live here and work here spend their money here. It is an American building, built to American standards, using American products. We do buy some things locally, maybe not as much as people think, but we do. In addition to the straight out dollars in terms of an economic impact, we are impacting the community of the city center of Nassau. I think we’re a part of the revitalization program that’s so important to that area,” he said.

“It also keeps the US Embassy really where it needs to be, close to the government offices of The Bahamas, as well as to the American citizens that we provide services for from the cruise ships. So being in the city center is I think also a positive impact for The Bahamas.

“This is a state-of-the-art facility that will meet all of our program standards that we have around the world. It will be a step up from the current embassy and I think it will be a much better platform for diplomacy and interaction with the people of The Bahamas going forward.”

The new embassy – which officials said was inspired by traditional Bahamian architecture and landscaping – will house a permanent art gallery that will feature Bahamian and American art pieces, including work from prominent Bahamian artist Antonius Roberts.

The building will be energy-efficient, boasting LED lighting, solar-thermal hot water, photovoltaic panels and an on-site wastewater treatment system, which will provide all the landscaping irrigation.

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