Features

Exterior Restoration

The façade restoration of 610 Newport Center Drive in Newport Beach, Calif., really impressed the 2020 Metal Architecture Design Award Judges. As Stephen Van Dyck, AIA, LEED AP, partner at LMN Architects in Seattle, noted, “This one is just awesome. They nailed the recreation, the restoration of the design intent. It’s all metal. It’s holistic. It’s the entire project, and they really restored the original intent. I don’t think there’s anything else to say.” David Dowell, AIA, partner at Kansas City, Mo.-based el dorado Inc., agreed, saying, “The pride in doing a job that well is really good.” With these high praises, the project was awarded the winner in the Renovations and Retrofit category.

Anodized aluminum façade renewed with field-applied coating application

By Marcy Marro

Photo courtesy of APV Engineered Coatings.

An 18-story Class A commercial office building, 610 Newport Center was developed and constructed by the Irvine Co., Newport Beach, Calif., in 1972 and designed by Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP. The exterior façade is Class 1 anodized aluminum metal wall panels. Over the past 45 years, the exterior façade had reached the end of its service life as it was maintained in a variety of ways.

Photo courtesy of APV Engineered Coatings.

Chris Incorvaia, national manager of façade restoration at New York City-based Stuart Dean Co., notes that Class 1 anodized aluminum should be cleaned and maintained in accordance with the AAMA 609 and 610 guidelines. “The original Class 1 anodized aluminum was no longer within performance and was exhibiting advanced signs of corrosion and pitting,” explains Incorvaia. “The poor condition of the protective anodic finish was no longer within performance caused from ultraviolet attack and water-borne corrosives. This condition led to corrosion in the form of pitting.”

While pitting cannot be reversed, it can be corrected by the application of a field-applied coating system to protect the aluminum and extend the service life. As the goal was to restore the building’s beauty and original design intent, Stuart Dean recommended the use of Akron, Ohio-based APV Engineered Coatings’ NeverFade water-based 2605 coating system with Kynar Aquatec resins from Arkema Inc., King of Prussia, Pa.

Photo courtesy of APV Engineered Coatings.

Incorvaia notes that the original RFP called for a solvent-based coating system. “Stuart Dean Façade’s experience with solvent-based coatings when used for occupied structures is that tenants are often affected by odor, causing building operations complications,” he explains. “With the use of a water-based system, tenant disruptions and project delays were avoided, thus reducing risk and exposure to the building stakeholders.

“An additional benefit of this system is because it is water based, there are less environmental restrictions for application such as dew point and relative humidity, thus assisting an accelerated schedule of completion.”

For the project, APV Engineered Coatings supplied 100 gallons of its W-1650 Bonding Primer and 185 gallons of its NeverFade Metal Restoration Topcoat with Kynar Aquatec PVDF resin to cover 82,000 square feet. The NeverFade Façade Restoration Coatings is a field-applied, 70% water-based fluoropolymer, low-VOC topcoat and primer designed to restore and protect building exteriors with long-lasting performance and an expected service life of 30 years. Formulated with Kynar Aquatec, the topcoats resist thermal, chemical and ultraviolet degradation in the harshest environments, including Newport Beach’s oceanside locale.

Before (left); After coating application (right). Photo courtesy of APV Engineered Coatings.

Due to the number of law firms in the building, Incorvaia says it was critical that the tenants were not disturbed during the 10 months it took to complete the project. “This meant that Stuart Dean needed to come up with a noise and odor-free solution. To avoid making noise during the surface preparation process, we mechanically hand sanded the surface in lieu of the use of electric sanders. The odor nuisance was avoided by the use of the APV NeverFade water-borne coating system, applied by rollers. There were zero tenant complaints, which is a minor miracle as far as façade restoration projects go.”