The Department of Architecture partnered with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations through the Diplomacy Lab, which enables collaboration between universities and the State Department, and exploration of real-world challenges. Led by Associate Professor Ajla Aksamija, students enrolled in Graduate Design IV studio worked on the design of a net-zero energy U.S. Consulate Building, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The building program and site were based on the actual location and program, which included 270,000 GSF (25,000 GSM) of programmed spaces for the consulate building and auxiliary program elements.