US government restricts "sustainability" language for its overseas architecture

US agency Overseas Building Operations has released a memo asking its architect collaborators to remove language relating to "sustainability" and "climate".

According to reporting from The Architects Newspaper, the Overseas Building Operations (OBO) agency has asked any contractors to "re-review" language around in-progress projects and given new guidelines for approved language.

The memo from the agency, which is responsible for overseas buildings such as consulates, says that architecture studios must remove "all references to sustainability or diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)" in descriptions or documentation of federal projects.

First released in February, the memo was updated in early April to clarify that the contractors are allowed to emphasise performance aspects such as LEED certifications, but that these aspects should be framed through increased performance rather than in terms of climate change. It stated that the terms "climate" and "sustainability" should be removed.

OBO has called for all projects approved before president Trump's inauguration to be re-reviewed. It's unclear whether the actual building protocol will be affected by the revised policy.

The Architects Newspaper reported that the descriptions of work by several architecture studios, including Studio Gang, Miller Hull and Tod Williams Billie Tsien, have already been changed in line with the new protocol.

The policy is in line with the Trump administration's revision of the language used in federal documentation. Federal agencies have been advised to limit the use of hundreds of words, ranging from geographic phrases such as "Gulf of Mexico" to simple verbs such as "belong".

OBO's memo is a stark turnaround from the previous policy, with the agency emphasising LEED qualifications for projects as recently as December 2024.

Billions of dollars have already been spent on the in-progress OBO projects worldwide.

The new directive in line with a flurry of directives from the administration directed at the built environment, including directives to prioritise classical and traditional architecture in federal building projects and an order scrapping water pressure limits on showerheads.

Photo of Miller Hull's completed Guatemala City US embassy by Gabe Border.

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