Ground Breaking Begins on Major U.S. Border Station  

The U.S. General Services Administration chose Robert Siegel Architects to design the facility as part of their Design Excellence program.

by Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 5/2/2008

It's already earned Robert Siegel Architects a Design Award from the American Institute of Architects New York chapter. Now, groundbreaking has occurred on what will be one of the largest U.S. border stations.

The New York-based firm was chosen to design the 100,000-square-foot U.S. Land Port of Entry, located on the Canadian border in Calais, Maine, as part of the U.S. General Services Administration's Design Excellence program. Situated on a 50-acre site, it is projected to be the eighth busiest international crossing on the U.S./Canadian border.



Inspired by Maine's rugged, glacier-formed landscape, the facility will be wrapped with an expanded aluminum mesh screen that will act as a protective barrier for surveillance while reflecting the shade and shadows of the changing seasons and weather. A concealed courtyard will allow uninterrupted views of the rolling hills that surround the site. Still, the facility will incorporate the most demanding security requirements of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"This is an important time in the architectural world," says principal Robert Siegel, who describes the project as "a nexus of public interest and architectural form." Siegel previously designed the Korean Embassy in Beijing China and has taught architectural design and building technology at Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute.

From top: A rendering of the new U.S. border station by Robert Siegel Architects. The interior courtyard.

Renderings courtesy of Robert Siegel Architects