Background
Guam High School was built to accommodate approximately 450 students in grades 9 through 12. The project included areas for administration, classrooms, labs, multi-use rooms, a gymnasium and support facilities. The T-shaped facility is comprised of one- and two-story structures architecturally designed to have a variety of rooflines, wall lines and wall projections.

Specialized Knowledge
The structural design accounts for Guam's environmental conditions including hot and humid climate, typhoons and seismic activity. Code-prescribed wind pressures on the structure are significantly increased because the north side of the project is bound by the steep cliff line that drops down roughly 150 feet to public and private land. This included a unique understanding of addressing significant uplift forces on the roof system that far exceeded the normal gravity loads. In addition, the project complies with AT/FP requirements contained in UFC 4-010-0, DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings.

Client Benefits
The project was contracted as a design/build competition to provide the government "best value" in their procurement of construction. Our office collaborated with the contractor to combine precast and site cast concrete to address extreme typhoon and seismic structural design requirements, paying special attention to the unique connection and reverse loading requirements. The final solution allowed the contractor to meet schedule, cost and quality requirements with the project budget.