On the Boards: Andersen Air Force Base Commissary

Cushing Terrell is designing a replacement commissary at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, based on an initial master planning effort completed in 2019. The project includes a new, ground-up store, attached water storage facility, and new parking lot and walkway, which will connect to the existing Exchange building and create a walkable shopping district.

The 82,000 sq. ft. commissary will comprise a sales area with produce and shelved/refrigerated goods, support offices, and stock rooms, as well as the attached 20,987 sq. ft. water storage facility. The program also includes a large truck delivery yard and loading dock, with a transformer and generator yard at rear of the building. The yard will be enclosed with an open-cell, masonry screen wall that aligns with the local vernacular. Additionally, design cues for the commissary are taken from the indigenous Chamorro culture, such as featuring capped-column latte-stone forms — a symbol of strength and identity — in the site’s features.

Through interior design and graphics, the design team will help the client, the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA), enhance and update store branding to reflect DeCA standards of durability, value, and sustainability. This includes avoiding vinyl-based substrates and specifying bio-based products where possible, all in support of the client’s “Stronger Together: Healthy Living” campaign and broader efforts to meet sustainability goals and create healthy environments for military members and their families.