Becoming a citizen of the United States requires study, effort, patience—and a lot of paperwork. But when the interviews are completed and the forms filled out, individuals raise their hands and swear allegiance to their new country. Chicago-based 4240 Architects wanted to provide a proper setting for that transformative experience, so they designed a two-story, glass-enclosed Ceremony Room for the new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) building in Irving, Texas. Positioned along a busy highway, the light-filled room will not only be an uplifting space but also gleam “like a beacon,” says 4240 design director Robert Benson: “Think of it as Lady Liberty’s torch.”
The USCIS, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, selected the team of 4240 and Winston-Salem-based developer JDL Castle in 2006 under the General Services Administration’s Design Excellence Program to design and build a new 56,000-square-foot facility to replace two separate, outdated USCIS offices. The structure needed to meet security requirements while remaining welcoming—even inspirational. “It shouldn’t feel like a bunker,” Benson says.
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