Base Administrative Building – Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz

Finegayan, Guam

The Base Administrative Building project relied heavily on construction partnering to deliver this high-visibility, mission-essential facility, recognized from the outset as a key milestone in establishing Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz (MCBCB).

The project included the construction of a three-story, 71,000-square-foot Base Administrative Building serving as the new command headquarters. Supporting consolidated administrative functions, the building houses the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), range control, legal services through an attached one-story legal annex, and essential telecommunications infrastructure. As the first major facility visitors encounter on base — and where every Marine checks in and out — timely delivery was critical to the broader relocation of Marines to Guam under the Government of Japan–funded Defense Policy Review Initiative.

The primary structural material of this risk category IV (essential) facility is CIP reinforced concrete designed to resist severe earthquakes, high typhoon winds, a corrosive tropical environment, and antiterrorism considerations, including the avoidance of progressive collapse.

Designed for operational resilience, the building incorporates a strengthened EOC capable of functioning as a storm shelter, high efficiency air-cooled chilled water systems, and diverse pathways for power, data, and radio frequency transmission. The cast-in-place reinforced concrete structure provides protection against typhoons, seismic events, corrosion and progressive collapse.

Construction occurred during an island-wide construction surge and pandemic-era constraints, which challenged material lead times, skilled labor availability, and concrete placement capacity. To maintain progress, the team partnered with the local concrete supplier and together they identified pump availability — not concrete supply — as the primary bottleneck. In response, the Base contractor Hensel Phelps-Shimizu JV procured and mobilized its own concrete pump, trained a dedicated crew, and established a consistent placement schedule. These collaborative measures kept structural work on track and set a performance model for future Camp Blaz projects.