Building Industry, May 2010

The solid bond and mutual respect between Hawaii’s construction industry and the military is a well-known reality.
The recently completed Fort Shafter Barracks project by Nan Inc., a major player in the military construction sector, is a perfect example of this positive partnering.
“The success of this project and the ability to complete construction approximately three months early,” says Stan Sagum, Nan’s project manager for the Fort Shafter Barracks work, “was the result of a conscious effort by all parties to implement the principles of partnering.”

Fulfilling the Goal

The Fort Shafter Barracks project was a federal design/build construction contract with the Army Corps of Engineers to design and construct an Unaccompanied Enlisted Personnel Housing (UEPH) facility for 156 single soldiers, along with necessary support buildings and infrastructure.
The goal for the design consultants was to design the buildings with a 25-year useful design life before possible reuse, re-purpose or renovation are required.

Nuts and Bolts

The barracks facility is a medium-rise, six-story, 78-unit building, constructed from structural CMU (concrete masonry unit) walls and solid-core precast planks. The entire building is air-conditioned for maximum comfort. Each unit consists of two private bed rooms, a shared bathroom and a kitchen. For added convenience, a laundry room is located on each floor and there also is a janitor’s closet for ease of maintenance. A boot wash area at each entrance minimizes the transfer of dirt and debris into the living quarters, further preserving the air quality and environment within the units.

Support structures to the barracks include a chiller plant, smoker’s hut, barbecue pavilion, covered bicycle shed, covered motorcycle shed and a parking lot encompassing 90 stalls.

The project duration was 795 calendar days with a revised contract comple-
tion date of July 2, 2010. However, as explained above by Sagum, it was completed three months ahead of schedule, and a ribbon-cutting completion ceremony was held on April 22.

Ryan Nakaima, vice president of Nan Inc., says, “Nan Inc. credits the collaborative efforts of the team players — the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Public Works, design engineers and contractor — for their early commitment to partnering, as the most influential factor of this project.”

The contract required that the project be validated by the government as a “certifiable” silver-rated sustainable project in accordance with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) v22. Nan Inc. is taking this extra step and submitting the documentation to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for formal certification.

The new barracks facility replaces a former ball field that originally was part of the Fort Shafter cantonment area established in 1936.

The Fort Shafter Barracks while nearing construction completion