Apr 26 2011
The recently-opened Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, a $28 million cruise ship terminal at the Port of San Diego, is the second major building to feature color-shifting DURANAR(R) VARI-COOL(R) coatings by PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG).
Duranar VARI-Cool coatings combine pearlescent pigments with ULTRA-COOL(R) infrared-reflective coatings technology by PPG. This combination enables Duranar VARI-Cool coatings both to help buildings stay cooler and to change color depending on how light refracts off their surface and the angle from which they are viewed.
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Saul Suarez, an architect with Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., specified Duranar VARI-Cool coatings in blue-green Polar Flare and Jamaican Reef colors for the two-story, 52,000-square-feet terminal. “Everyone is very happy with the colors,” he said. “When you look at the paint from different angles, it looks different, which creates a very unique experience. It worked out great.”
Suarez said the terminal, which opened in December 2010, is designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which is why Duranar VARI-Cool coatings and additional energy-efficient features such as water-efficient toilets and faucets, extensive use of recycled materials, abundant daylighting and a photovoltaic system that generates half the building’s electricity were included.
While the Broadway Pier has been in service for more than 90 years, the new cruise ship terminal adds a passenger facility with space for ticketing and baggage, and for U.S. Customs and Border Protection services. The terminal is also available for event rentals when not occupied by a ship.
The Appaloosa Branch Library in Scottsdale, Ariz., which opened in 2009, was the first building to feature Duranar VARI-Cool coatings.