The Port of Kalama’s Transportation Interpretive Center opened to the public in November 2014. The vision for the Kalama, Washington facility was to replicate a traditional waterfront warehouse of the 1800s, and that goal was achieved with the help of AEP Span’s architectural metal panels in two new specialty finishes, Burnt Rust and Weathered Zinc.

“The Port of Kalama and the city have a long history,” said Craig Collins, President of Longview, Washington-based Collins Architectural Group, P.S., and lead designer on the project. “The print used for the exterior walls looked like rust metal and the roof like an old galvanized roof which lent itself to a turn-of-the-century warehouse.”

With the Port of Kalama located next to the Columbia River, there were also environmental and natural weather conditions taken into consideration. Because of high winds and wind-driven rains, AEP Span’s Span-Lok™ hp 24-gauge roof system provided the weathertightness needed for the building. The Weathered Zinc print, part of AEP Span’s Specialty Finishes Metallic prints, provided the natural look of an old galvanized roof without the zinc runoff.

AEP Span’s Select Seam® Wide Batten 17-1/4”, 24-gauge panel in Burnt Rust, an AEP Span Specialty Finishes Rustic print, was selected for the exterior wall application because of its replication of an historical board-and-batten wood siding system. The exterior walls were long expanses and the wide batten breaks up the siding, and the Burnt Rust print provided the rustic look without the rust runoff.

The center also features AEP Span’s Nu-Wave® Corrugated 24-gauge panels in Weathered Zinc, used for the exterior blinds. Perforated Nu-Wave® Corrugated panels with battens were used in the interior as an acoustical application.

The new Transportation Interpretive Center houses the operations team and celebrates Kalama’s unique place in Pacific Northwest history as a transportation and commercial hub. Cultural artifacts, memorabilia and replicas of the past are exhibited throughout the center to bring history alive for visitors.

The general contractor for the project was Berschauer Group of Olympia, Washington. The metal panel installer was Martin Sheet Metal of North Plains, Oregon.