MOUNT CARMEL SCHOOL		Services Provided: • Growth Master Plan • Civil, Structural, Architectural Design • Construction Management
At Mount Carmel High School, a two-story building of 25,000 square feet, steel frame construction was used along with a metal exterior envelope providing for low maintenance and cost effective construction.  Many energy efficient measures were implemented including energy saving fixtures and automated lighting, as well as insulated wall and roof systems.  Plumbing fixtures are low consumption units with automatic shut-off valves. With the use of modern construction technology, the Mount Carmel School boasts a state of the art intercom system, anti-graffiti paint and provisions for future computer networking and Internet access.  Design features provide controlled access to classrooms for security and student safety. For the construction management, EFC’s duties included product submittal review and approval, daily inspections, witnessing material testing, conducting weekly meetings, monitoring progress payments, reviewing payroll documents, as well as coordinating work with other government agencies.  Thus, it required concise documentation to keep the project in order.  Despite the difficulties that the contractor was experiencing during the project, EFC continued to perform its CM duties to ensure that the school was completed properly. Our office experienced many challenges such as the installation of the steel roof.  EFC personnel witnessed the installation of the roof at the most critical areas to ensure that there are no water leakage during rain storms.  The protection of the school’s property as well as the students and teachers was a primary concern.  EFC ensured that the contractor adhered to the design specifications in order to construct an environment conducive to learning.

MOUNT CARMEL SCHOOL MASTER PLAN		Services Provided: • Master Planning
Providing a facility that could satisfy the growth at the school while staying within the limited available construction budget.  Operational costs were also a major concern. In keeping with our goals and responding to the client’s needs, our firm developed a Growth Master Plan for the Mount Carmel Schools in 1993.  Programming the future needs for the elementary, junior and high school for the next ten years.  Our Team worked with the Owners to develop a comprehensive Master Plan for the entire property.  We then coordinated with various local contractors to determine what alternative construction materials would result in the most cost effective design with the lowest life cycle costs. The master plan included the design of the entire Mount Carmel campus.  The Master Plan took into consideration the expansion and construction of new classrooms for the elementary, Junior High and High Schools in phases without disrupting the daily school schedule.  Moreover, the master plan included recreational facilities, administration buildings, and library.

KAGMAN HIGH SCHOOL		Services Provided: • Civil, Structural and Architectural Design • Permit Application and Management • Construction Inspection & Quality Control
EFC faced many challenges with the design of the high school as the site was very steep and had limited land area.  Furthermore, areas of the project site are off limits due to the presence of endangered species.  The project site was also situated above one of Saipan’s best aquifers with no public sewer system in place. EFC worked with its local contractor partner to develop an affordable and environmentally sensitive design.   Buildings were benched into the hillside but students can still get into all the buildings via ADA accessible walkways.   The campus has its own on-site subsurface flow wetlands to treat wastewater, which provides for simple operation and maintenance while protecting the groundwater resources in the Kagman watershed.  The school facility has 34 classrooms, cafeteria, library, administration offices, ROTC facilities, vocational classrooms, computer labs, and numerous energy efficient features. A pre-casting yard was setup on the ROTC drill pad to allow the project to fast track.  The entire facility was constructed in less than a year, which allowed the Public School System to open the facility in the mid-term of the school year.

MARIANAS HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM		Services Provided: • Construction Management • Partial Redesign for Code Compliance • Civil and Architectural Redesign
EFC Engineers and Architects Corporation was awarded the Construction Management Services for the Project through the CNMI Department of Public Works, Technical Services Division as Contracting Authority and the CNMI Public School System as Expenditure Authority.  Construction originally started on the Project in early 1992 and had continued on an on-again, off-again schedule until 1998, at which time the Gymnasium was redesigned.  The client required that as much of the in place construction as possible be utilized into the redesign.  With a new construction start in February 2000, this created many unique challenges for EFC and the Contractor especially within the interior areas, which required the demolition and relocation of several heavy structural concrete roof beams and columns. This was accomplished meeting all design specifications and without disturbing the structural integrity of the original concrete roof.  The steel structural members of the Main Gymnasium also required disassembly and were reinforced prior to complete refurbishment and reassembly. The Gymnasium, integrated classrooms and outdoor physical educational facilities were completed in April 2001, with classes starting in June of the same year.

    

SINAPALU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ROTA		Services Provided: • Civil, Structural and Architectural Design
EFC provided a school master plan for the Sinapalu Subdivision in conjunction with the Rota PSS and Mayor’s Office.  The master plan included the integration of the future elementary, JR. High, and High Schools all on one campus.  Planning included locations for athletic fields, parking and circulation as well as growth of the individual schools.  EFC also designed the Phase I elementary school for this campus.  Phase I included administration building, library, cafeteria/multi-purpose room, and 8 classrooms with a future expansion of 8 additional classrooms.