Since its opening in 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on the shores of Lake Erie has received rave reviews for its unique interior and exterior architecture and use of “heavy metal” with a protective coating system from Tnemec. “The building is located on the lake front, so a fair amount of rain hits that structural steel,” acknowledged Tnemec coating consultant Sean Carlin.” After 10+ years of weathering, the steel is still holding up quite well and the coating system looks good.”
The coating system was used on nearly 200 tons of interior and exterior exposed steel, which was prepared and primed by the fabricator. Each piece of steel was prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP 6/NACE No. 3 Commercial Blast Cleaning before receiving a shop-applied primer coat of Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a zinc-rich polyurethane with excellent corrosion resistance. Nearly 1,200 gallons of primer were used on the project.
Upon arrival at the jobsite, the structural steel was erected and touched up with Tneme-Zinc, followed by a field-applied topcoat of Series 75 Endura-Shield, an aliphatic acrylic-polyurethane. More than 200 gallons of the white polyurethane topcoat were applied by brush and roller.
Designed by architect I.M. Pei, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a composition of bold geometric forms and dynamic cantilevered spaces anchored by a 162-foot tower, which supports a dual-triangular-shaped glass pyramid extending onto a 65,000-square-foot plaza.
“All major internal and exterior components of the pyramid were coated with Tnemec,” Carlin added. “Other than touching up a few handrails, the coating system on the steel has held up on its own.”
The 150,000-square-foot building houses more than 55,000 square-feet of exhibition space, as well as administrative offices, a gift shop and restaurant. The $65 million Hall of Fame and Museum is Cleveland’s No. 1 tourist attraction.