What it seems to do, I think, is it executes on the intention it had, which is to create a building which is very much of its place.
— Kirsten R. Murray, FAIA
Location Columbus, New Mexico
Client General Services Administration
Architect Richter Architects
Design Team David Richter, FAIA; Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA; Sam Morris, AIA; Stephen Cox, AIA; Bob Mitchell, AIA; Aaron Geiser, Assoc. AIA; Lonnie Gatlin, Assoc. AIA; Albert Delgado Jr., Assoc. AIA; Toan Q. Huynh
Contractor Hensel Phelps Construction
Structural Engineer Walter P Moore
MEP Engineer/Security Consultant IMEG
Civil Engineer Jaster Quintanilla Dallas
Fire Protection Jensen Hughes
Landscape Architect MRWM
Cost Consultant Project Cost Resources
Located in the remote Chihuahuan Desert, the Land Port of Entry accommodates daily pedestrians, private vehicles, commerce (primarily agricultural) and 800+ schoolchildren who cross the border to attend school in the United States. The architecture is directly inspired by the vast desert: The silhouette of photovoltaic, clerestory roof monitors echoes distant mountains; colored brick and weathered steel extend patterns of earth and grasses; shaded exteriors and daylit interiors shelter from and harness the desert sun. Providing safe, efficient, and expanded international entry processing for people and goods, this new port of entry welcomes travelers to America with architecture that serves and respects all people while celebrating the local ecology.