Portland International Airport’s new terminal is now open, with the US $125 million nine-acre timber roof the centrepiece of a US $2.15 redevelopment dubbed America’s favourite airport.
The nine-acre mass timber roof is the product of years of work from the Port of Portland in partnership with Native American tribes and local organizations, and Port Director Curtis Robinhold said it’s the perfect signature feature for the airport.
“The sourcing of this roof, it all comes from within 300 miles of this spot,” he said, adding that “four Native American tribes, family-owned forests and a nonprofit forest (collaborated) to create this spectacular sort of homage to this region. Something that feels like you’re walking through a forest.”
Designed by ZGF Architects, the project is the largest mass timber project of its kind anywhere in the world – with the expansion effectively doubling the airport’s capacity, accommodating up to 35 million passengers every year by 2045.
The terminal’s 9-acre mass timber roof evokes the experience of walking through a forest with expansive views of the airfield and surrounding landscapes. The interior spaces are infused with natural light and greenery, creating an environment that resonates with the region’s unique character.
“Everybody loves Portland International Airport, Our challenge was to double the capacity while designing an experience that passengers and employees will love as much as the original.”
Gene Sandoal, Partner at ZGF Architects
The new airport design mimics the city’s walkable neighbourhoods.
Wood Central understands that ZGF approached the design of its timber airport expansion with urban planning principles in mind, drawing from Portland’s walkable neighbourhoods. The layout features smaller-scale architecture within the expansive space before travellers enter a clear and intuitive flow from the reconfigured ticket hall to security checkpoints and onwards to their gates.
The pre-security marketplace, designed as a public space, features stadium seating and offers regional goods and dining. Post-security, the terminal continues to emphasize comfort and accessibility, with tree-lined pathways, café seating, and urban furniture that invite travellers to linger.
Designing with a focus on the passenger experience, the team aimed to reduce the stress associated with air travel by creating a tranquil environment filled with natural elements. Collaborations with Terrapin Bright Green and PLACE landscape architects ensured that biophilia — the connection between humans and nature — was integrated throughout the terminal.
The result is a space where passengers can relax and enjoy the journey through pathways lined with trees, cascading gardens, and over 5,000 strategically placed plants.
Timber and steel are the perfect solution for the 390,000-square-foot roof
Last month, Wood Central spoke exclusively to Jared Revay, Timberlab’s Director of Manufacturing, responsible for erecting the 390,000-square-foot roof is supported by 34 steel columns: “This is a hybrid roof—the steel girders are the backbone of the roof. There are steel girders every 100 feet with 80-foot beams between them.”
According to Mr Revay, timber-and-steel systems are a no-brainer for projects like the airport: “Because it is modularised, you get a high degree of accurate tolerances with wood—whereas steel can grow and shrink thanks to differentials and temperatures.”
“And that was one of the aspects that helped create a lighter roof and a roof that could be stable intolerance so that when you pull it apart, it can come back together in a very tight tolerance fashion without things growing or shrinking on themselves.”
Jared Revay, Director of Manufacturing for Timberlab.
The curved lattice structure was sourced from 13 forests scattered throughout the Oregon and Washington regions. The design “creates the impression of being beneath a forest canopy, emulating Oregon’s lush forestlands.”
The Timberlab frame uses fabricated Steel Girders from Evraz, arching Glulam Beams made from Douglas fir by Zip-O-Log Mills, and Mass Plywood Panels made by Freres Lumber. In total, it uses 3.3 million board feet of native Douglas Fir, all prefabricated offsite, transported, and assembled over an 18-month period.
Forest to Frame: Supporting tribal nations through sustainable forestry
Tapping into a concept known as Forest to Frame, Wood Central understands that almost all wood comes from direct targeted forest of origin or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) credits, focusing on sourcing from small family woodlands and tribal nations. This commitment to traceability and local economies highlights a new model for sustainable timber procurement.
Traceability has been a major theme of the project’s procurement (with all timber used on the project fully accounted for), and timber sourcing is guided by special criteria, including concerns of local economies and indigenous peoples and those about ecological resilience.
“The idea behind that was unique,” Mr Revay told Wood Central, adding that as a contractor, “I’m using it to buy my materials, build the building, and figure out the design along the way…but the Port of Portland decided to take it a step further.”
“By doing so, it wanted to do something that has never been done before; getting FSC (or SFI) wood is the easy part,” he said, “what they wanted to do was get wood from tribally sourced forests and get wood from small family farms that have proven sustainability.”
“As a result, their goal is to bring these smaller types of forests to the commercial market, putting their money where their mouth was and investing more because they knew where the money was going. And they knew the change that was happening because of that investment.”
Mr Revay said this level of investment had changed his concept of sustainability. “You never really thought about the guy cutting down the tree or his family or how the forestry policies impact those people in those communities and their families.”
“To be a part of something that stands up for those people in those communities and those values so that they can thrive is empowering,” he said, adding that “there’s been a lot of devastation through a lot of the policies (around old growth and native forestry) over past decades.”
Jared Revay was one of the special presenters at Timber Construct
Speaking to Wood Central, Andrew Dunn, organiser of Timber Construct – Australia’s largest timber construction conference, said that the PDX Airport is part of a wave of new airport projects using timber, steel and concrete to create lighter and more flexible airport terminals.
“PDX was one of our highlights of the second day, with more than 220 architects, engineers and building professionals getting a sneak peek at the new airport from inside the terminal,” Mr Dunn said. “It adds to a growing wave of global projects which will be showcased as part of the World Conference on Timber Engineering in Brisbane in June 2025.”
According to Mr Dunn, the total number of attendees at this year’s Timber Construct was up on past years, with a much stronger representation from architects, engineers, and building professionals. Wood Central Publisher Jason Ross was the MC for the two-day conference.
“In total, we had 41 presenters from Australia, the United States, China, Japan, Finland and Canada,” Mr Dunn said: “From PDX to the Atlassian project in downtown Sydney, and even the PNE Amphitheatre in Vancouver, we heard from the engineers, fabricators and architects behind the world’s most iconic timber projects being assembled right here and now.”
- Visit Wood Central’s special feature to learn more about the Portland International Airport and why it is the world’s most famous timber project. To watch Wood Central’s interview with Mr Revay ahead of the Portland International Airport opening, click here.
