Central to the compound on its compact urban site in Rio de Janeiro, the Consulate General of the United States Rio de Janeiro by James Richärd of Richärd Kennedy Architects with HGA Architects & Engineers takes inspiration from its context combined with a focus on security.
Inspired by modernists traditions in architecture and urban landscape found throughout the vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro, the new Consulate General captures the character of the city through familiar form, materiality, and experience while representing the United States’ diplomatic mission in Brazil with security, stewardship, and resiliency.
The Consulate General of the United States Rio de Janeiro has recently been awarded a 2022 American Architecture Awards Honorable Mention by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Entries, exterior event space, gardens, and primary pedestrian circulation activate the east and south frontages and engage nearby public transportation, plazas, and greenspaces.
As a diplomatic gesture to the host city, the compound gardens transition across the secure perimeter into the public realm, upgrading the city streetscape with a welcoming shaded experience for pedestrians.
Arrival plazas anchor opposite ends of the representational frontage with staff and official visitors entering at the Southwest corner aside the main roadway, and consular visitors gathering at the quieter Northeast corner adjacent to an existing urban park.
Photovoltaic canopies identify these public areas providing cover, and visibly promoting commitments to sustainability and resiliency.
Monumental trellised ETFE canopies mark the Chancery’s formal entrances, while also providing shade and rain cover.
To the south, grand plaza spaces that host larger public outreach events are the foreground to the Chancery’s main entrance, bounded by formal water features and lush botanical gardens with the lively cityscape beyond.
To the north, consular visitors ascend a brightly colored processional ramp to a waiting area at the second level.
Cantilevered from massive stone piers, the ramp meanders above an extensive reflecting pool that overlooks the compound gardens.
The 11-story Chancery is portrayed as two office towers, differing in height, set atop a common two-story plinth of public access and service functions.
Separated by an outdoor terrace at their base, the towers are bridged at the upper levels by double height communal “hubs” with staff amenities.
The tower cores are clad with locally quarried stone, reflecting the geology of the surrounding mountains.
In contrast to this, office and common spaces are fully glazed, capturing daylight and iconic views.
To balance openness with energy efficiency and workplace comfort, arrays of custom formed, vertical shade fins overlay the tower facades.
The fins unify and shape each tower with a series of angular gestures, combining a unique identity with effective solar control attenuated to each exposure.
Rainwater collection and storage from the main roof areas is orchestrated through a network of water gardens, basins, and underground cisterns.
Integral to the landscape experience, the water features also responsibly manage stormwater on site to minimize the impact on the municipal stormwater system.
Stored rainwater is reused for landscape irrigation and cooling tower make up.
The architectural form of the two towers connected by a common link is inspired by the landforms of Sugarloaf Mountain and Morro da Urca at the mouth of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil which is connected and communicate via cable car.
This typology is reinterpreted as two structural towers of varying heights, set atop a plinth and connected at the upper levels via a common glass connector.
The site design reflects the entanglement of the urban fabric with the surrounding tropical landscape through a series of interconnected garden spaces and water features that surround and interact with the architecture.
Project: Consulate General of the United States Rio de Janeiro
Architects: Richärd Kennedy Architects
Lead Architect: James Richärd
Associate Architects: HGA Architects & Engineers
Client: US State Department Bureau of Overseas Building Operations
