An artist’s depiction of the new Admiral Herbert G. Hopwood Middle School.
Contributed image
CJ Innovation, a Korea-based company, will complete the construction of Admiral Herbert G. Hopwood Middle School’s new 40-classroom main building in 365 days or one year, CJ Innovation engineer Kim Jung Hoon said on Saturday.
The Chalan Piao campus was destroyed by Super Typhoon Yutu on Oct. 24, 2018.
Funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the construction of the new school building will cost $23 million.
In an interview, Kim said the architectural and engineering design is over 90% complete. Once it is finalized, the Public School System is expected to issue a notice to proceed or NTP with the demolition of Hopwood’s deteriorated building, paving the way for construction of a new campus facility.
PSS issued the NTP for the A&E design on Feb. 6, 2025, Kim said, adding that CJ Innovation is just waiting for the geo-technical survey result.
On Saturday, CJ Innovation presented a design development plan prepared by its architectural partner, Innovative Design.
Kim said completing the construction of the new building in one year can be achieved through cost management, the use of cost-and-time saving products including innovative construction materials, such as autoclaved lightweight concrete and globally recognized Posmac (magnesium aluminum alloy coated) products.
Kim said they aim to build a sustainable and smart design that will result in a comfortable, resilient and durable infrastructure.
He said the design components include efficient building envelopes, daylight and heat gain control, efficient HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) and lighting, a photovoltaic system on the roof, as well as building-integrated photovoltaics system on the walls.
Kim said CJ Innovation is the first company in the CNMI that uses such innovative construction materials as autoclaved lightweight concrete and designs.
He said it took only 90 days for CJ Innovation to complete the installation of Hopwood’s pre-engineered 20 modular classrooms that are also made of cutting-edge materials like autoclaved lightweight concrete, an eco-friendly building material that is highly insulated, sound-proof, 100% fire-resistant, moisture proof and lightweight but strong, Kim said.
He said the time has come for the CNMI to embrace a new generation of construction materials and design, and CJ Innovation is here to offer them.
He said CJ Innovation will continue to serve the island community by enhancing other school infrastructure like the new playground installed earlier this year at Koblerville Elementary School.
Kim hopes that more investors will make similar contributions that benefit the community.
CJ Innovation engineer Jung Hoon Kim presents a design development plan during an interview on Saturday at the CJ Innovation office in San Antonio.
Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano