USACE, Mobile District
Miami, Florida

The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) is one of 11 unified Combatant Commands (COCOMs) in the Department of Defense. This joint command headquarters is comprised of more than 1,200 military and civilian personnel who represent the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and several other federal agencies.

Operating from its Miami-Doral, Florida, headquarters, SOUTHCOM provides contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation for Central America, South America and the Caribbean, as well as force protection of U.S. military resources at these locations. Its expansive campus encompasses more than 39 football fields of office space, including state-of-the-art planning and conference facilities. The complex is designed so many entities can execute their missions in a secure and interconnected environment that is both productive and efficient.

BRPH provided architectural/interior design and construction administration services for the 168,000-square-foot Services Building and the 48,000-square-foot Conference Center of the Americas which supports meetings of differing classification levels and multiple translations, information sources and video conferencing. The two-story facility features a command-and-control center and central energy plant with an uninterrupted power system. The conference center auditorium includes tiered seating for 200 and can double as a coalition operations center. The facility also contains nine 25-person conference rooms.

The buildings were designed to exceed the requirements of the International Building Code for high velocity hurricane zone regions (withstands 185 mph winds).