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.
Photos by Zack Benson Photography
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.