The Golden Gate Bridge is acclaimed as one of the world's most beautiful bridges. With its tremendous towers, sweeping main cables, and great span, it is a sensory beauty featuring color, sound, and light. Celebrating 75 years, the bridge can be a very busy place; it is estimated that about nine million people from around the world visit the bridge each year.
When asked by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy to serve as the lead architect for the 3,426-sf Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion, Project Frog was in search for a fiber cement product that included a moisture management system. Looking at several different manufacturers, price points, and aesthetics, Project Frog landed on Nichiha’s Illumination Series panels through a client who had recently used the product on one of their buildings.
The Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion was developed with the latest technology and innovation available. The building’s cladding will serve to call attention to the structure itself, with the famous international orange color on three sides and a storefront consisting entirely of glass, floor to ceiling.
Project Frog was intrigued by the plethora of physical properties of Nichiha panels, including durability, panel proportions, clipping system, texture/finish, V-groove panel joints, and the ability to utilize Nichiha’s Color Xpressions System, where Nichiha will match any paint manufacturer’s colors in satin finish. The patented clip system allows for panel joints to fall off stud locations as well.
“When you have a landmark with such strong national recognition and commitment, you know you have the right combination of product advantages,” states Doug Kennard, territory manager at Nichiha USA. “This Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion project typifies all the aspects of the Nichiha brand... providing quality exterior cladding solutions that deliver on high performance and bring to life the look our clients desire. Plus if we can also lower the installed cost and shorten the installation process, we’ve done our job.”
The new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion is made from environmentally responsible materials and has abundant green features including: high-performance, super-insulating glass units incorporating suspended film technology; abundant natural daylight; complete LED lighting system for artificial light; ultra-high efficiency furnace with economizer function; and low-flow commercial plumbing fixtures; in addition to Nichiha’s sustainable Illumination Series panels, which contain 40 percent recycled content.
The new Golden Gate Bridge Pavilion will include interpretive display elements and artifacts alongside retail merchandise. Not only will it teach its visitors about the historical significance of the building, but it will also provide educational information about sustainable building techniques, energy performance, and environmental responsibility. +
Related Stories
| May 11, 2012
AIA launches education and training portal
New portal to host Contract Documents training, education resources in one convenient place.
| May 9, 2012
Tishman delivers Revel six weeks early
Revel stands more than 730 feet tall, consists of over 6.3 milliont--sf of space, and is enclosed by 836,762-sf of glass.
| May 9, 2012
Stoddert Elementary School in DC wins first US DOE Green Ribbon School Award
Sustainable materials, operational efficiency, and student engagement create high-performance, healthy environment for life-long learning.
| May 9, 2012
Shepley Bulfinch given IIDA Design award for Woodruff Library?
The design challenges included creating an entry sequence to orient patrons and highlight services; establishing a sense of identity visible from the exterior; and providing a flexible extended-hours access for part of the learning commons.
| May 9, 2012
Construction Defect Symposium will examine strategies for reducing litigation costs
July event in Key West will target decision makers in the insurance and construction industries.
| May 8, 2012
WDMA and AAMA release window, door & skylight market studies
Historic data for 2006 through 2011 and forecast data for 2012 through 2015 are included in the report.
| May 8, 2012
Gensler & J.C. Anderson team for pro bono high school project in Chicago
City Year representatives came to Gensler for their assistance in the transformation of the organization’s offices within Orr Academy High School, which also serve as an academic and social gathering space for students and corps members.
| May 8, 2012
Skanska USA hires Zamrowski as senior project manager
In his new role at Skanska, Zamrowski will serve as the day-to-day on-site contact for select Pennsylvania-based projects during all phases of construction.
| May 8, 2012
Morgan/Harbour completes three projects at Columbia Centre
Projects completed on behalf of property owner, White Oak Realty Partners, LLC, Pearlmark Realty Partners, LLC and Angelo Gordon & Co.
