The desert is a harsh environment that affects everything within it. Beauty can be found within the desert in the form of objects normally disregarded. The desert shapes and molds metal and bone with wind and sun. The new Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection (DHS-CBP) station located in Van Horn, Texas is designed conceptually with a roof form shaped by the forces of the desert environment to create a distinct and beautiful identity.
The design of the station, steel ribbons over long, low and massive concrete walls was inspired by DHS-CBP itself. Located in a region steeped in the history of defending freedom, this station stands as a metaphor to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The low concrete walls reference that regional history and through their simple function contain the program of the facility. They represent the individual officer doing the fundamental job of protecting the borders.
The steel ribbons, designed with high tech software using computational fluid dynamics, perform new functions necessary to modern building in a harsh climate by removing heat from the facility. The behavior of the ribbons as airfoils, metaphorically matches the technological aspects of modern border protection.
As unmanned drones fly missions using infrared detection equipment in support of mounted officers, the design of the Van Horn station can be understood as representative of the US Customs and Border Protection.
The roof form is made of four discontinuous metal ribbons that stretch across the site. These ribbons gracefully undulate creating shaded spaces under which the facility is built. From sunrise to sunset the ribbons showcase the spectacular sky offered by west Texas. The shadowy purples and blues of pre-dawn light will be reflected upon these ribbons which will also appear electric when filled with the vermilion of sunset. As with light, the roof forms are designed to manipulate the air by encouraging the prevailing southern wind over their surfaces. As the wind slides quickly over the ribbons, hot stagnant air is attracted up and away from the station.
This project won an AIA Design Excellence Award in 2008.