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
| Feb 16, 2012
Big-box retailers not just for DIYers
Nearly half of all contractor purchases made from stores like Home Depot and Lowe's.
| Feb 15, 2012
Code allowance offers retailers and commercial building owners increased energy savings and reduced construction costs
Specifying air curtains as energy-saving, cost-cutting alternatives to vestibules in 3,000-square-foot buildings and larger has been a recent trend among consulting engineers and architects.
| Feb 15, 2012
Englewood Construction announces new projects with Destination Maternity, American Girl
Englewood’s newest project for Wisconsin-based doll retailer American Girl, the company will combine four vacant storefronts into one large 15,000 square-foot retail space for American Girl.
| Feb 10, 2012
LAX Central Utility Plant project tops out
Construction workers placed the final structural steel beam atop the Plant, which was designed with strict seismic criteria to help protect the facility and airport utilities during an earthquake.
| Feb 2, 2012
Call for Entries: 2012 Building Team Awards. Deadline March 2, 2012
Winning projects will be featured in the May issue of BD+C.
| Feb 1, 2012
Replacement windows eliminate weak link in the building envelope
Replacement or retrofit can help keep energy costs from going out the window.
| Feb 1, 2012
Blackney Hayes designs school for students with learning differences
The 63,500 sf building allows AIM to consolidate its previous two locations under one roof, with room to expand in the future.
| Feb 1, 2012
Two new research buildings dedicated at the University of South Carolina
The two buildings add 208,000 square feet of collaborative research space to the campus.
| Jan 31, 2012
AIA CONTINUING EDUCATION: Reroofing primer, in-depth advice from the experts
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
| Jan 26, 2012
American Standard names Gould as president and CEO
Gould succeeds Don Devine, who led the successful turnaround of American Standard Brands.
