Metal gives high-tech aiport warm, wood finish

by Jonathan McGaha | July 31, 2010 12:00 am

California’s Silicon Valley is known for bold ideas, and the expansion of San José Mineta International Airport reflects the area’s reputation for innovation and technology. From the captivating curves of its perforated metal façade, meant to suggest fiber-optic cable, to the air-conditioned chairs in its gate waiting areas, the $1.8 billion upgrade program has garnered kudos for its forward-thinking and green solutions.

Nowhere is this success more evident than in the airport’s Terminal B, slated for LEED Silver. Among the natural finishes envisaged by airport officials was the warmth of natural wood. “The airport instructed us not to use any synthetic wood finishes,” said Mark Rothman, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP, project manager and San Jose director for Fentress Architects, San Jose, Calif., which was led by Hensel-Phelps Construction, San Jose, on the airport expansion.

To meet this need—as well as fire marshall prohibitions against using solid wood finishes— Fentress and Hensel-Phelps selected a suspended metal ceiling system by Norcross, Ga.-based Hunter Douglas Contract: A 5/8-inch (16-mm) deep Luxalon Box system with wood veneer on universal carrier suspension mounts for design flexibility.

Hunter Douglas Contract, www.hunterdouglascontract.com

Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/metal-gives-high-tech-aiport-warm-wood-finish/

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