Airport Terminals Take Flight with Passenger-Centric Upgrades and Additions
Rising traveler volumes, advances in technology, and wellness preferences are project drivers.
Excerpts: On July 8, Nashville International Airport in Tennessee is scheduled to complete the opening of an extension to its Concourse D that adds six new gates and 190,000 sf of space, 23,000 sf of which for concessions; a 160-foot-long moving walkway, and an outdoor terrace.
This project, whose Progressive Design-Build team has been led by Fentress Architects and Hensel Phelps, is part of the airport’s $3 billion New Horizon construction and renovation plan that is addressing surging passenger volumes.
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“Technology is reshaping every phase of airport design and construction, from planning and prefabrication to post-occupancy maintenance,” says Curtis Worth Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, Founder and Principal-in-Charge of Design for Fentress Architects. His firm has seen a “major shift” from reactive to predictive modeling, with digital replicas simulating everything from HVAC systems to passenger flow before ground is broken on a project.
