Mariposa Land Port of Entry - Nogales, Arizona
As national security has become more sophisticated, so the land port of entry has transformed from a small structure resembling a house or industrial shed into its own building type. Today, these robust facilities embody the unique demands of border crossing, and jurors singled out the 2-year-old Mariposa Land Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, for exemplifying how GSA has redefined the land port. The facility ensures security in a manner that is as efficient as it is humane, and which simultaneously celebrates regional landscape and national pride.
The 55-acre Mariposa campus comprises 240,000 square feet of buildings and inspection canopies. Zoned in the linear manner of a railyard, its master plan uses a central spine to separate incoming passenger vehicles from pedestrians and commercial vehicles. Highly visible primary inspection canopies reinforce this organization, by employing bands of red, white, and blue to distinguish between the traffic intakes.
According to the Design Awards jury, the project team deeply considered the comfort of individuals moving through the site. It fashioned durable materials into highly detailed trellises and light reflectors that, alongside lushly planted native vegetation, protect users from desert sun and emissions from idling cars and trucks. The architectural elements and foliage also work in concert with public art to engender a sense of oasis among visitors, while maintaining clear sight lines for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. Meanwhile, sustainability strategies harness punishing environmental conditions to improve building performance. They include solar hot water, photovoltaic readiness, and a million-gallon cistern that stores mechanical system condensate and monsoon stormwater for irrigation.
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