Space-age LAX building corrosion worse than first thought

Space-age LAX building corrosion worse than first thought The iconic Encounter Restaurant at Los Angeles International Airport, the real-life inspiration for the buildings of the future in the Jetsons TV cartoon of the 1960s, is likely to stay closed for emergency renovations through at least the end of the year, according to airport officials.
   In February, a 1,000-pound slab of plaster fell from one of the structure’s upper arches, disintegrating into hundreds of pieces as it crashed into the restaurant’s roof. Inspections found that water had been seeping into the structure’s arches for years, causing the anchors for the plaster slabs to corrode over time. City officials quickly closed the restaurant and announced a retrofit expected to take up to six months.
   Further inspections have revealed that the damage to the internal structure of the building is more severe and widespread than original thought.
   Initial inspections concluded that only the upper portions of the building's arches were affected, but corrosion has since been found in the lower portions of at least two of the buildings four arches.
   Estimates on repairing the upper portions of the arches have already climbed to $10 million, and city officials are not sure how much more will be needed to repair the lower parts of the arches. Airport commissioners are set to be briefed later this month on the additional damage and any resulting additional costs.
   Within the next few weeks, workers will begin stripping off the stucco surrounding the buildings internal metal superstructure. Officials are looking at the possibility of using more water-resistant materials to replace the stucco and corrosion-resistant materials for repairing the internal structure.
   Airport engineers have also discovered during inspections that a concrete wall surrounding the building is freestanding and never anchored to the ground. The structure may have to be reinforced for seismic stability, possibly adding more cost and time to the renovations.
   Officials believe that the restaurant atop the structure could be reopened by August, but further construction is likely to last through the end of the year, possibly longer.
   Located on the Pacific coastline a 20-minute drive from downtown Los Angeles, LAX is the largest airport on the West Coast. Covering more than 3,400 acres, it is the third-busiest airport for passenger traffic in the United States and second-busiest in the United States for cargo traffic.