6 minute read
Conscious construction
from CCR Issue 7
ISSUE 6, 2021
ALSO COVERING LOCAL, STATE & REGIONAL PROJECTS AND FACILITIES
Conscious construction
Two newly completed construction projects at Marine Corps Base Hawaii are improving daily life for residents and visitors alike—and they are just the latest in a series of recent improvements. The military base, located on the island of Oahu, is home to thousands of Marines, their families and civilian employees.
Stellar, a Jacksonville, Florida-based design, engineering, construction and mechanical services firm, was selected to build a new hotel and Marine Mart retail location at MCB Hawaii. Not only are they important revenue generators for the base, but both projects also will save money and energy thanks to their sustainable design.
The Fairway Inn: A hotel as ‘green’ as its namesake
The new Fairway Inn is an on-base hotel providing active and retired service members and their families an economical way to visit the island of Oahu. The rooms offer beautiful views of the adjacent Klipper Golf Course and easy access to the island’s world-famous beaches.
Matthew W. Naylor, Stellar
Matthew D. Norville, Stellar
“To make room for the Fairway Inn, we demolished a mini-golf course, batting cages and a bumper-boat pool, all of which were aging and underutilized,” says Chris Burgess, Construction Senior Project Manager at Stellar. “In their place, we built the wood-framed, 24-room hotel structure to match the design of the existing Klipper Villas located nearby.” While wood construction is somewhat rare on military installations, it was a creative workaround to accommodate budget constraints. This meant the Stellar team had to conduct a structural analysis and install a fire sprinkler system designed to comply with special code requirements. But they didn’t just use any wood. The 16,000-square-foot Fairway Inn was built from lumber sourced from sustainable farms within a certain distance of the jobsite, in order to minimize unnecessary long-distance shipping. Another sustainable feature of the $10.5 million project is its solar water heating system. Solar panels on the structure’s roof capture and store energy to heat water and distribute it throughout the building, minimizing the use of non-renewable energy to power conventional water heaters. These are just some of the design elements that helped the Fairway Inn earn a Two Green Globes certification (equivalent to LEED Silver), which demonstrates “significant achievement in resource efficiency, reducing environmental impacts, and improving occupant wellness.” The new hotel also includes an on-site housekeeping space, a vending area and laundromat for guest use. Its exterior features panelized stone, HardiePlank lap siding, architectural asphalt shingles and stucco with decorative features. One existing structure did survive the demolition process, however: a tiki hut previously used as the check-in stand for the old mini-golf course.
The construction team repainted the building, replaced its windows, and installed new drywall, all while still retaining the hut’s original architectural charm. It now serves as a dedicated break room for the hotel’s employees.
Seldon Street Marine Mart: Putting the ‘C’ in c-store
In addition to the newly constructed Fairway Inn building is the new Wiki Wiki Marine Mart, now referred to as the Seldon Street Marine Mart. The $8.8 million design-build project included work on the 10,700-square-foot masonry and steel building with slab on grade construction, a painted masonry exterior, radiused stucco entry feature and a TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) roofing system. Located on US Marine Corps installations across the country, Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) Marine Mart locations offer a convenient, one-stop shop where military personnel and their families can purchase food and other essentials. “In Hawaiian, ‘wiki wiki’ means ‘quick’ or ‘fast,’” Burgess says. “Since the majority of the store’s sales are expected to come from foot traffic, it was designed to provide Marines with plenty of convenient, essential options on base.” Customers will find energy-efficient coolers and freezers, a “beer cave” and a large sales floor with grab-and-go options inside the Marine Mart. The shopping area also houses a Panda Express with outdoor seating and a drive-thru, a barber shop and a bubble tea store. The Seldon Street Marine Mart also was awarded a Two Green Globe certification from the Green Building Initiative (GBI). “Given the building’s close proximity to the barracks, we created a safe job site that minimized interference with the service members on base,” Burgess says. “Marines would use that green space as a group training area first thing in the morning, so they had to relocate while construction was underway. Now they benefit from a brand new convenience store in a super convenient location.”
Building a better infrastructure in Hawaii
Stellar has extensive experience constructing projects on US military installations, including Marine Mart renovations at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, MCAS Miramar, MCB Camp Lejeune, MCAS Yuma and Camp Pendleton.
In fact, this is the fifth improvement project it has completed at MCB Hawaii. Over the years, the design-build firm also renovated its: ` Auto Skills Center ` Outdoor Recreation Center ` Wave attenuator, docks and ramps ` Flightline Marine Mart (located near the base’s 7,800-foot runway)
The company’s connections in Hawaii’s competitive subcontractor market—along with its low-cost, high-quality approach—has helped secure numerous military projects in the Aloha State, including the Ilima Swimming Pool Complex at the Hale Koa Hotel & Resort in Waikiki Beach and the Outdoor Recreation Center at Schofield Barracks. The majority of these contracts are awarded by the US Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM), which handles the day to day operations of military bases around the world. Rather than relying on tax dollars, IMCOM uses non-appropriated funds to pay for such projects, with money coming from service members and other users of military recreation facilities. Stellar has now partnered with IMCOM on more than 40 projects worldwide. So what’s next for MCB Hawaii? The base is scheduled to break ground on The Exchange, a new mall-like structure, later this year. The project will consolidate all of the base’s MCX operations into one building, combining two existing structures by expanding into the Mokapu Mall area. The Exchange will add about 10,000 square feet to accommodate additional business lines and services. “The work will be phased to limit the downtime between closing the existing location and opening the new location for both the users and vendors,” Burgess says. “This will be a major project for the community on base, and we’re proud to be a part of improving operations and the quality of life for the servicemembers at MCB Hawaii.” FC
Joe Mark is VP of Operations, Federal Markets at Stellar, a Jacksonville, Florida-based firm that provides construction management at-risk, design-build and general contracting services for a range of commercial and public sector markets. You can reach him at jmark@stellar.net or (904) 260-2900.
