The former light industrial building in Santa Clara’s Great America Place went from bland to “bling” following an extensive renovation highlighted by an exterior openwork aluminum trellis featuring a fluoropolymer finish from Tnemec. “Part of the renovation involved an elegantly landscaped sitting area, walkways, a water structure and foliage covered by a grand trellis spanning the entire width of the two-story glass lobby,” observed Tnemec coating consultant Carl Bowers. “Designed primarily for its aesthetics, the trellis also provides shade from morning and afternoon sunlight.”
Project specifications required a shop-applied coating system for the trellis that conformed to California’s air pollution regulations limiting volatile organic compounds (VOCs). “It is unique that such a large structure was finish coated in the shop,” stated Bowers. “In this particular project, the other trades really did a nice job of protecting the substrate and installing it with minimal damage.”
Prior to coating the trellis, the fabricator removed all soluble and insoluble contaminants from the aluminum substrate and abrasive blasted to provide a thorough, uniform angular profile of a minimum 1.0 mil. The trellis was primed with Series V69F Hi-Build Epoxoline II, a low-VOC advanced generation polyamidoamine epoxy. “We chose a base coat of Series V69F because the adhesion of this epoxy is especially tenacious on aluminum,” Bowers explained.
A finish coat of Series 1070V Fluoronar, a high-solids fluoropolymer, was spray-applied. “The owner wanted the highest level of protection with service life expectations in excess of 20 years,” Bowers recalled. “After an extensive comparison of performance data that relied on industry consensus test methods, Fluoronar stood out among other fluoropolymer coatings.”
The extremely stable chemistry in Fluoronar reduces color fade and promotes gloss retention over an extended period of time. An air-dried finish that can be brush-, roller-, or spray-applied, Fluoronar is often the top choice for high-profile buildings.
Other enhancements by the architect included the addition of a new glass-walled entrance lobby and the replacement of tinted, heat-absorbing windows with low-E insulated glass. “It turned out gorgeous,” Bowers added.