PPG Coatings Used in Next Generation of NY Skyscrapers

PPG’s metal coatings have been used in some of New York’s most prominent landmarks including the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden and the Jacob K. Javitz Center, as well as contemporary structures such as Freedom Tower and VIA 57 West.

The coatings are also being used in several of the city’s next generation of skyscrapers. Designed by some of the world’s best-known architectural firms, Husdon Yards is the largest private real estate development in U.S. history and comprises six towers measuring more than 50 stories in height. PPG recently announced that its coatings have been chosen for exterior and interior components for a number of the projects.

15 Hudson Yards

15 Hudson Yards is 70 stories tall and is the first residential tower to open in the development. As part of the project, PPG and the Keymark Corp. (Fonda, N.Y.; Lakeland, Fla.), a full-service aluminum extrusion company with in-house finishing capabilities, worked with the architect and building owner to custom-formulate two colors. PPG Duranar coating in a medium-gray color is used for the exterior curtainwall and PPG Duracron is used for the interior facade.

Based on 70% polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin and proprietary PPG resins and pigments, PPG Duranar coatings meet the American Architectural Manufacturers Assn (AAMA) 2605 standard for weather performance. 

35 Hudson Yards

Designed by David Childs of Skidmore Owings and Merrill, 35 Hudson Yards is a 92-story residential tower. The interior of the building’s podium incorporates more than 25,000 pounds of coated aluminum extrusions that make up a sleek terrace handrail and balustrade. These elements are finished by Keymark Corp. with PPG Duracron. The color was custom formulated by PPG to complement the other surface materials used throughout the space.

55 Hudson Yards

55 Hudson Yards is notable as one of the first skyscrapers in the U.S. to be finished with powder coatings. The 51-story structure was designed by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates using PPG Coraflon coatings on its metal curtainwall and window frames. The firm worked with PPG to formulate the color, which was specifically designed to mimic the classic cast-iron facades of Hudson Yard’s nearby SoHo neighborhood — and to commemorate the industrial heritage of the building’s setting in the historic Meatpacking District.

Spectrum Metal Coatings (Youngstown, Ohio) applied nearly 20,000 pounds of PPG Coraflon powder coatings to metal components used in the building’s facade.

While PPG Duranar liquid coatings are based on PVDF resins, PPG Coraflon powder coatings are formulated using proprietary fluoroethylene vinyl ether (FEVE) resins to provide satin and high-luster glosses in solid and mica-flecked colors. They can be used in a one-coat paint system, or as part of a two-coat system with a primer, to optimize corrosion resistance while delivering color and gloss retention.