Port of San Diego to Celebrate Opening Of New Event Center and Cruise Ship Terminal

Thursday, 02 December 2010
Contact: John Gilmore (619) 341-5684, (619) 686-7206

The Port of San Diego's new Pavilion on Broadway Pier, which will serve as both a public event center and cruise ship terminal, is beginning service this month with a grand opening celebration and the inaugural cruise ship arrival.

The official dedication and public open house will be held Saturday, Dec. 18, with the arrival on Wednesday, Dec. 22 of the first cruise ship, Holland America's 1,400 passenger ship ms Rotterdam.

The public open house on Saturday will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. followed by the dedication from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The open house will include amusement rides, a travel show, maritime exhibits and an opportunity to win prizes. Some of the activities will continue the following day, Sunday, Dec. 19, with the carnival rides operating from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

At 5 p.m., grandstand seating will be available for the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights – the annual procession of boats festooned with Christmas lights -- that is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

On Saturday at 3:15 p.m., a blessing ceremony by the Viejas band of Kumeyaay Indians will be held on the pier from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will include music by jazz guitarist Elliott Lawrence and vocal performances.

"We have been waiting a long time for this moment," said Robert "Dukie" Valderrama, chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners. "The new pavilion will serve as a welcome center for the many cruise passengers sailing into or leaving this beautiful city, and locals and visitors alike who may be attending one of the special events or festivals that we envision for the pier and event center."

The modern, two-story event center and cruise terminal will be the Port of San Diego's first "green" building. Its state-of-the art design is expected to win silver LEED certification after undergoing several months of review by the U.S. Green Building Council. The group provides certification for buildings incorporating environmental features, such as solar power, that reduce a building's energy and water consumption.

The $28-million Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier was designed and built to reduce water and energy usage. In addition, cruise ships that will berth at the pavilion and the Port's main cruise terminal on the B Street Pier will use shore-side electrical power resulting in less pollution from a ship's diesel-burning engines while at berth.

The pavilion will serve as an auxiliary to the Port's main B Street Cruise Ship Terminal.

Distinguishing features of the new event center and cruise terminal is its look, a saw-tooth roof design and its glass rollup doors that reflect the water's hues.

The environmental components include the infrastructure to provide shore-side electrical power to cruise ships, a photovoltaic system that will provide up to 12 percent of the building's energy, a white roof that will help conserve energy and low-flow toilets, urinals and faucets.

Internationally-recognized New York artist and lighting designer Leni Schwendinger, of Leni Schwendinger Light Projects LTD., has incorporated a public art element into the new pavilion. In the evening, the front of the modern steel and glass cruise terminal and event center will be lighted in shades of greens and pale blues, in patterns of sand and sea. By day, the sculptured exterior wall will blend into the building's architecture, with the sculpture highlighted by sunlight. The design incorporates a "light garden" that will enhance the building's entrance and some portions of the pavilion. Schwendinger's work is featured in several locations including Seattle, Dallas, and Glasgow, Scotland.

The artist will give a public talk on Saturday, beginning at 2:30 p.m. in the Big Bay Lounge on the second floor.

The Port Pavilion can accommodate both large and small public events, ranging from outdoor musical festivals, weddings and family reunions. Included is a space at the back of the building that has a commanding view of San Diego Bay. The center already is booked for upcoming events, such as the Big Bay Whale Days Festival scheduled for Jan. 23, and the RC44 Regatta, an international racing competition that is scheduled for March 2-6, 2011.

More than 200 workers, ranging from architects to construction workers worked to erect the more than 2.5-million pounds of steel that supports the 52,000 square-foot building.

The pavilion was designed by Bermello Ajamil and Partners, Inc., a leading design and architectural firm with offices in California, Florida and New York. The firm worked on the design of the resort island known as "The World" in the United Arab Emirates.

Jaynes Corporation built the event center and cruise terminal. The company is located in seven west and southwestern states, including California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas. Local projects include the clubhouse at The Crossings at Carlsbad golf course, Grossmont Hospital Care Unit, a multi-purpose and livestock facility at the fairgrounds in Del Mar, the Encina Water Pollution Control Facility, Village Walk at East Lake in Chula Vista and the Serra Mesa/Kearny Mesa Public Library.

Sullivan Solar Power, which is headquartered in San Diego, installed the solar panels that will provide energy for the terminal and event center. The firm has installed solar-power systems throughout Southern California, including the Port of San Diego Administration Building.

Cochran Electric, Inc. installed the shore power equipment at the Port's primary cruise ship terminal on the B Street Pier, and the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier. The Port invested about $7 million in the system that will power the cruise ships. Cochran Electric is based in Ohio and has branch offices in Washington state, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. The firm, which specializes in designing electrical and technological infrastructure, has installed shore power for the ports in Seattle, San Francisco and Vancouver, British Columbia.