Beauty at U.S. Ports of Entry

Two of the 11 honorees for the 2016 American Institute of Architects’ awards for excellence are U.S. border stations. Seriously. Citylab has the scoop.

This is the U.S. Land Port of Entry in Van Buren, Maine, as photographed by Paul Crosby. Architect Magazine ran a story on this unique building in 2013.

And here is the The Mariposa Land Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, as photographed by by Bill Temmerman for another Architect Magazine profile.

Citylab reports that the beauty of these POEs is no coincidence:

For the past two decades, the federal government has been constructing architecturally refined “land ports of entry” (as they’re officially known) along our borders with Canada and Mexico. This effort is part of a larger program in the General Services Administration called Design Excellence, which started under President Bill Clinton and has continued, quietly, through three administrations.

The purpose of Design Excellence is to raise the bar for public architecture, ensuring that federal buildings such as courthouses or agency headquarters are not just functional, but showcase the country’s design talent.

Hat tip to immprof Liz Keyes for pointing me to this story. You know I love a good border station. It’s time to plan my next immigration-destiny family vacay.

-KitJ