Evangelist Billy Graham once said of San Francisco, “The Bay area is so beautiful, I hesitate to preach about heaven while I’m here.”
Rev. Graham isn’t alone in his assessment of San Francisco. The travel editors of Forbes magazine described California’s fourth most populous metropolitan area as “one of the most beautiful cities in America. With beautiful vistas, turn-of-the-century Victorian mansions and one of the most adventurous culinary cultures in the country, it is no surprise both tourists and business professionals love visiting the city.”
In 2009, San Francisco attracted more than 15 million visitors who spent nearly $8 billion, or $21.5 million per day, according to the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau. For 18 consecutive years, San Francisco has been selected America’s favorite city to visit in Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s Readers’ Choice Survey. Cities are rated by the magazine’s readers who rank what they consider to be the best-of-the-best in the world of travel based on specific criteria such as ambiance, friendliness, restaurants, lodging, shopping and culture/sites.
Among the city’s leading destinations, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, are Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge was named as one of “The 10 Most Beautiful Places in America” by USA Weekend, which described the state landmark as “a work of art, one of the greatest the 20th century has produced in any medium.”
Another popular destination is Union Square, which is surrounded by hotels, art galleries, restaurants, theatres and retail stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s and fashionable boutiques offering Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Armani. Established as a park in 1850, to show support for the Union troops, the state landmark is surrounded by several distinctive buildings, including the former V.C. Morris Gift Shop designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Near Union Square, theater lovers have been attending the historic American Conservatory Theater, formerly the Geary Theater. for more than 100 years. Designed by the architectural firm of Bliss and Faville, the theater is on the Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places, as well as being a state and local landmark.
Also on the list of attractions for visitors is Ghirardelli Square, where high-end shopping, entertainment and luxury residences can be found that offer spectacular views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. Many of the original buildings dating back to the 1800s have been renovated into upscale condos, which included the use of a coating system with custom colors from Tnemec. Because Ghirardelli Square is on the National Register of Historic Places, all colors of the finish coating used for the renovation required approval. “There was a color expert hired for this project,” noted Tnemec coating consultant Wendy Amos. “We provided several panels and color samples when they went through the process of picking colors.”
A coating system was required to meet the 2011 California Air Resources Board (CARB) Model Rule limiting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to a maximum of 250 grams/liter (2.08 lbs/gal). The project specified Series 394 PerimePrime, a micaceous iron oxide (MIO) zinc-filled polyurethane primer, followed by two coats of Series 1029 Enduratone, a high dispersion, pure acrylic polymer with good color and gloss stability and low VOCs. The coating system was applied to interior windows, as well as exterior metal surfaces including picket railing, steel balcony structures, handrails, fire escapes and decorative panels. “PerimePrime offers good performance properties with minimal surface preparation,” Amos observed. “Coating contractors love to use Enduratone because it’s a single component product so they don’t have pot life and recoat windows to worry about. It has a fast dry time, which is important in coastal exposures that are subject to high humidity and salt fog.”
Under the city’s “green” building codes, called CALgreen, which are to be completely phased in by 2012, construction of large residential and commercial buildings are to follow stringent, eco-friendly building codes. Enduratone, which is available in both gloss and semi-gloss, meets the LEED-New Construction (NC) Version 3.0 EQ Credit 4.2 rating system. “VOC limits under our current CARB rules are 250 grams per liter for coatings, where Enduratone is less than 100 grams per liter,” Amos explained.
Enduratone was among the low-VOC coatings recently used to renovate the 100-year-old City College of San Francisco John Adams campus, as well as the $200 million remodel of the San Francisco International Airport Terminal 2 and Boarding Area D, which is scheduled for completion in 2011.
Other coatings with low VOCs that can be used under California restrictions include Series 750 UVX, an advanced technology polyurethane finish coat, which San Francisco contractors are using for physical-abuse areas; Series 151 Elasto-Grip FC, a penetrating, flexible and low odor primer, which together with Series 158 Bio-Lastic, a durable coating formulated to resist mildew growth on paint film, were used on the recently completed CYMCA in San Francisco; and Series 156 Enviro-Crete, a flexible and low-odor coating, which was used on exterior surfaces at the CYMCA and other prestigious projects.