The American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) is anticipating the completion of a new building at their Tafuna compound which will house the management, engineering, and human resources divisions for the semi-autonomous agency.

ASPA Executive Director Utu Abe Malae explained that the new operations center is being funded by ASPA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

LIVELY Architects, based in Honolulu, and local contractors Paramount Builders are in charge of getting things done for a structure that will feature a total area of 10,848 square feet.

According to information from LIVELY, the theme for the ASPA building is: "To be a living example! The building is a source of energy back to the island."

"The curving roofs were an outcome of orienting the roofs to optimize the PV energy gain. We needed a relatively low slope roof. When completed, we anticipate generating more electricity than the building will use."

LIVELY explains that "all aspects of the building took sustainable building practices into consideration, especially focusing on durable, low maintenance materials that have a better chance of standing up to the warm humid environment, such as the concrete exterior walls. The building orientation, roof overhangs, and window placement were designed to optimize natural daylighting without introducing uncomfortable glare or heat gain into the building."

According to a report from LIVELY, the original contract sum was for $4,779,554 but the current contract sum stands at $4,712,242— reflecting a cost savings of $67,312 to date.

Another saving of $112,705 was due to “waiving of bond requirements for Paramount Builders, a qualified local contractor with demonstrated performance and financial wherewithal in the successful completion of the project.”

A total of $45,392 in additional costs have been noted for changes and improvements, which is less than 1% of the original contract sum.

The work began on November 10, 2014 and was originally supposed to take 360 days (one year) to complete.

The current target completion date is January 11, 2016 but work may be extended until February 2016.

"Most of this is due to the work on the concrete walls, upper floor deck, and roof taking longer than anticipated.”

The project is pursuing LEED Platinum Certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design). The goal is to construct a first class project through environmental sensitivity utilizing careful selection of renewable products and regional materials, recycling waste as well as energy and water conservation."

The building will have 442 photovoltaic (PV) panels and the system is projected to generate 147,000 KWh per year. Per energy model, the building consumes 99,844 kWh per year.

PV system is expected to produce approximately 147% of building needs, making it a net-positive building.

ASPA engineers, in coordination with the LEED consultant, designed a water savings system that will collect and store rain water from the roof and use it for the building’s toilets.

For the building’s artwork, local artist Reggie Meredith was commissioned to execute two large elements of art to integrate the Samoan culture into the building. The artwork is to take its cue from historic Samoan art and culture and present it in a forward looking 21st century approach.