Long Beach Airport’s Art Deco Carport
Long Beach Airport's new parking structure is visible upon entrance to the airport property. The large structural steel tube frames was specified with a paint over galvanized end product to ensure extended product life while offering a unique appearance to all airport visitors. During the design phase, great attention was placed on the scale of the parking garage relative to the Long Beach airport's main terminal, a historic city landmark.
Unfortunately, however, there is limit to what can be done to reduce the visual impact of a parking garage. Their solution was to fabricate (architecturally exposed) painted steel frame facades to adorn the outside of the parking garage, giving it a very 1950's Art Deco look and feel. A duplex coating was absolutely essential in protecting the steel from corrosion in this aggressive temperate marine climate. (The Long Beach Airport is just 9 miles from the Pacific Ocean.) Paint over galvanizing was the perfect synergistic combination to accomplish this monumental feat. Effectively, adding many additional years of service life to the project.
Long Beach Airport's new 1,989-space parking garage is a $58 million dollar structure that incorporates Art Deco-like architectural flares, including curved corners and frontage similar to the main airport terminal. The airport structure offset design (10' W x 20' L x 2' H) required a progressive dip process to insure adequate galvanizing coverage. This design celebrates the southern California climate, with lushly landscaped outdoor spaces, lots of glass and the ability to board airplanes outdoors without the use of jet bridges. The garage is expected to ease congestion at an airport where passenger volumes have skyrocketed to over 3 million people annually. The airport will create more than 70 permanent jobs to secure, maintain and operate the new garage.
Solar panels will be integrated into the garage's superstructure in the near future, providing power for lighting the facility. Hot-dip galvanizing will be specified to protect the solar panel's structural framing and support beams from corrosion.
