On the Texas border, the path to a welcoming, net-zero-energy facility at one of the U.S.’s busiest ports of entry turned into a passion project for a small team of designers.
You never know which projects will strike an emotional chord. For LPA Design Director Federico Cavazos, a 3,800-square-foot border-crossing facility in Eagle Pass, Texas, resonated on a deeply personal level. He grew up in Laredo, a nearby Texas border city, and understood the significance of the crossing to the local community.
“When you live in a border city, your identity is tied to the connection from Mexico to the U.S.,” Cavazos says. “Walking or driving across the river is a big part of your life growing up here.”
The new port-of-entry administrative center wasn’t a large project, in terms of size or budget. But for Cavazos, design coordinator Ben Hamilton and a small team working out of LPA’s San Antonio studio, the border-crossing facility became a passion project, a chance to affect, perhaps in a small way, the journey for people making the crossing between the two countries.
Within the budget constraints, the building delivers a better working environment for staff.
To have the opportunity to work on the last building you see before you leave the USA or the first building you see when you enter into the USA was profound,” Cavazos says. “If treated with care, I knew how meaningful the building could be to the people of Eagle Pass and the City of Eagle Pass.”
For the city, the new facility was an important step forward. The bridge operations team had been working out of a “temporary” building for 23 years.
“This building has been a long time coming,” says city manager and previous bridge administration head Homero Balderas. “Our hope was to be able to capture the needs of the bridge system and bring in a building that will not only sustain the operations now but well into the future.”
For Design Director Federico Cavazos (left), who grew up on the border, the border facility took on special meaning.
The building is the operational headquarters for the City of Eagle Pass International Bridge System on one of the busiest border crossings in the United States, which processes more than $30 billion in trade a year and 50,000 pedestrians a month. While the Department of Homeland Security handles immigration, the city’s bridge system collects fees, exchanges currency and handles an array of other functions.
In addition to the thousands of 18-wheel trucks, cars and tourists and workers streaming back and forth across two bridges daily, the 3-acre site for the new facility presented several challenges. On the west side, sloping steeply toward the watershed, the site was essentially an embankment with a small sliver of flat area on top. The existing temporary facility was a mere 5 feet from the new building’s north edge, and the toll booth lanes needed to remain active to the east. The new facility needed to connect to the existing traffic flows and remain open during the construction process.
The city also wanted to create a place to host events and dignitaries, a space reflecting the important role the crossing plays in the relationship between the two countries. “We feel like we are one with Mexico and Piedras Negras, our sister city,” Balderas says. “For us it’s very important to value that relationship we have with Mexico.”
An outdoor deck provides space for regular binational events and meetings hosted by the city.
A New Front Door
On the small site, the new facility provides a welcoming experience for travelers and staff. The entire site was reoriented to create a dedicated vehicular entry and parking area for staff, while framing views through the building and celebrating the connection between Eagle Pass and its sister city, Piedras Negras. The elevated, shaded pedestrian sidewalk softens the walk-up experience. Spaces are carved out of the building for different functions, from currency transfer to staff breaks. A covered deck provides event and meeting space with views of the city’s golf course and the Rio Grande.
The design balances the functions and views with the reality of the blistering South Texas heat. The structure’s orientation, strategic window placements, shading devices and roof overhangs minimize direct sunlight into the building, helping to reduce energy use.
The building’s orientation and strategic shading help create comfortable zones around the building, even in the Texas heat.
“We wanted to see if there was a way we could be as efficient as possible with the building’s energy consumption — this is where LPA was big,” says Civil Engineer Nacho Hinojosa. “We felt that was a perfect match for us and our goal to make this building completely self-sustainable.”
Net-zero energy wasn’t part of the original plan. But in early meetings, the LPA team illustrated how the building could achieve energy independence. The design team focused on two factors: tuning the roof space for enough photovoltaic panels to completely offset energy use, and a more efficient HVAC system: variable refrigerant flow (VRF). VRF systems are optimal for a building of this size and type, allowing more individual control over spaces and operating much more efficiently than packaged rooftop units. They also free up roof space for PV panels.
Concerns about the initial expense were quickly balanced by the operational savings and the opportunity to operate completely off the grid, if necessary. When city officials expressed concern about maintaining the VRF system, the team found two mechanical service companies in the area able to work on the systems, helping staffers feel more comfortable with the new technology.
This building has really become an icon for our community that represents that connection between the United States and Mexico. It showcases what the City of Eagle Pass is about.”
— Homero Balderas, City of Eagle Pass City Manager
The structure’s orientation, strategic window placements, shading devices and roof overhangs minimize direct sunlight into the building and reduce energy use.
Bringing People Together
Over the course of the design and construction process, the new center faced many obstacles. The project went to bid at the height of COVID and had to face the sharp spike in material and labor costs that hit the industry as the pandemic subsided.
“Bidding during the height of the pandemic was a struggle, but it was a success story at the end of the day to be able to counteract the inflation,” Hinojosa said. “As a group, we were able to find $1.7 million in savings while still delivering the facility we had promised.”
Through it all, the facility’s design was informed by the city, its staff and their goals. Designers were able to work one-on-one with the employees who would occupy the spaces. Many had worked for the City of Eagle Pass for more than 20 years.
“It was really fun working together with them to pick every material on the building, to talk about the specifics of each room,” Hamilton says. “There was an element of personalization that’s not common in civic and commercial construction.”
Eagle Pass is one of the busiest border crossings in the United States.
The staff was an integral part of the design process, helping to create spaces for different activities.
For the City of Eagle Pass, first and foremost, the building reflects good stewardship of taxpayer money. Within the budget and constraints of the site, the facility delivers a better working environment, as well as the daily functions of the site. The new facility — the first net-zero-energy building for the city — has also grown to mean more to everyone involved.
“This building has really become an icon for our community that represents that connection between the United States and Mexico,” City Manager Balderas says. “It showcases what the City of Eagle Pass is about.”
Cavazos realizes he is unlikely to work again on a project quite like this one. The design team was able to create a more hospitable, safe experience for the thousands of people crossing the border every day.
“I just really loved how unique this opportunity was,” Cavazos says. “I never thought I’d get to work on something like this in my career.”
