GREEN SCENE B On To further reflect the port’s maritime tradi- roadway
Metal panels and cool coatings create sustainable portside structure By Patricia Brehm, Associate Editor
For more than 90 years, Broadway Pier in San Diego has been in service. Constructed in 1919, Broadway Pier has seen numerous ships from the U.S. Navy to the British ship Britannia after a visit from Queen Elizabeth in 1983. A new structure, Port Pavilion, was created to serve as a cruise ship terminal when the B Street Ship Terminal is accom- modating two ships. Completed in 2010, the $19.7 million, 52,000-square-foot Port Pavilion measures 75 feet wide, 464 feet long and 55 feet tall.
“The new structure supplements the pre-exist-
ing B Street Terminal and adds a passenger facility with space for ticketing and baggage, as well as for U.S. Customs and Border Protection services,” says Adam Deaton with the building owner, San Di- ego Unified Port District, San Diego. “The terminal also is available for event rentals when not occu- pied by a ship.” Key elements to the project included reflecting
San Diego’s maritime tradition in the building, as well as creating a sustainable landmark. The building’s “saw tooth” roof is meant to represent boat sails and ocean waves, while a 60-foot pylon in front of the pavilion represents a ship cutting through water.
tion, New York artist Leni Schwendinger of Leni Schwendinger Light Projects Ltd., created an exterior light sculpture entitled “Tidal Radiance.” During the day, the sculpture blends in nicely with the rest of the building’s architecture, but at night, a light garden of projections allow the sculpture to change colors from a deep blue reminiscent of the bay to warm amber. The light projections and the color reflect on the building changes accord- ing to the season.
CHOOSING METAL Metal was chosen based on its sustainable char- acteristics and affordability as a design material. Saul Suarez, architect with Bermello Ajamil & Partners Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., notes: “The design team looked to create the lightest possible structure that could be erected on a 96-year-old pier, and also had to adhere to a tight construction budget. One of the initial design challenges was determining how to retrofit the existing concrete and steel pier structure to endure the forces of a seismic event, and then matching the same design constraints to the new terminal building.” “The team determined that metal was the per-
fect solution for the project’s design and sustainabil- ity goals after carefully evaluating other materials,” Suarez observes. “Deciding factors included metal’s light weight, forgiving nature to possible seismic movements, the time-saving efforts of installing a