AIA MARIANAS BIDS FAREWELL TO

ANDY LAGUAÑA, FAIA

The architecture community of Guam and the Marianas is deeply saddened by the passing of a pioneer-architect, mentor, colleague, and friend, Andrew “Andy” Laguaña, FAIA. His viewing was held last July at the Guam Museum, one of his most notable and celebrated works. Members of the A&E community paid their last respects that day. Liza Provido, AIA, spoke on behalf of AIA Marianas.

“That is the Andy I know, a son of Guam, who brought the Hafa Adai spirit to his NCARB family. He was a gifted and talented architect who left us well before his time. He leaves behind a great legacy of built work; he was relentless in his desire to raise the bar and intensely guarded the profession.  Jack was extremely proud to have him become a fellow Fellow in the American Institute of Architects  along with Mark Ruth. It was an honor both deeply appreciated by Andy and most deserved.”

— Liza Provido, AIA

Andy Laguaña was the second Chamorro to become a licensed architect. After receiving his Master’s Degree in Architecture from UC Berkeley and an early career with renowned architectural firm HoK, he came back to Guam. He designed numerous edifices with his previous partnerships Martin Cristobal Laguaña (MCL) and Architects Laguaña+Cristobal (ALC) including Tamuning Elementary School, UOG Humanities & Social Sciences Building, UOG Tan Lam Pek Kim English & Communication Building, Catholic Social Services Complex, Mercy Heights Catholic Nursery & Kindergarten, and St. Fidelis Friary. In the last thirteen years, he led Architects Laguaña, LLC in the design of works such as JFK High School, Southern Region Community Health Center, Nanbo Building, Ambros Harmon Headquarters, Kattan Youth Center, Farmers’ Coop/Dededo Flea Market Facility, Guam Museum (under ALC), and Shimizu House.

Beyond the buildings, Andy’s inspiration were the people of Guam. It was very important to Andy to make our island a better place for future generations, and especially after he had his grandchildren. He served on the Guam Preservation Trust and Guam Historic Preservation Review Board, Professional Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors (PEALS) Board, Western Conference of Architectural Registration Boards (WCARB), and the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB), as a member, chairman, and representative respectively throughout 1998-2013. He is one of three AIA Marianas members elevated to the AIA College of Fellows. AIA Fellows are recognized with the AIA’s highest membership honor for their exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society. As FAIA, Andy also served as one of AIA Marianas’ Board Advisors.

Andy was posthumously presented the Magahaga award by the Guam legislature for his contributions.  It was accepted by his wife, JoAnn, daughters Jerusa and Drew, and their families. AIA Marianas says thank you, and bids goodbye to Andy. His legacy shall live on to inspire our young people, the current and future generations of architects.