A $399 million expansion to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will proceed after the Port of Seattle Commission approved the project last week.
According to the Port of Seattle, the retrofit is part of the airport’s ambitions to become North America’s “greenest port” and is targeting “LEED v4 Silver certification.”
The project will “literally raise the roof” because the airport was one of the most space-constrained airports in the US, according to the Port of Seattle.
It will use solar, electrochromic glazing of the glass curtain wall panels and mass timber throughout the ceilings and columns.
The project extensively uses glulam beams and cross-laminated panels from locally sourced Douglas fir and will add up to 14,000 square metres (or 145,540 square feet) to the existing terminal.
Among the airport’s key features is the building envelope inspired by the forest and nature – with the building’s shell modulating light and collecting energy.
Designed by Woods Bagot and The Miller Hull Partnership, the design “rethinks the airport experience where design creates an intuitive journey, a sense of calm, and climate consciousness.”
Seattle-based construction company Turner will oversee the project, with General Manager Bill Ketchem noting the “importance of implementing sustainable building strategies into the terminal expansion.”
Its most notable feature is its interior decor, which is “inspired by the local area and will sculpt the Douglas fir into complex curves, creating an eye-catching ceiling and a mezzanine level and multiple seating areas.”
“Inspired by the Pacific Northwest, the concourse’s interior is an interplay of environments defined by both the local energy and a connection to the natural landscape,” according to Woods Bagot.
“The more active public spaces are designed to reflect the textures and activities of the famous markets in Seattle and the region.”
The project is Seattle’s first to meet the city’s Sustainable Project Framework and strongly focuses on Scope 3 emissions.
“The project will have a strong focus on sustainability and ensuring that our construction expands opportunities through the entire community,” Port of Seattle Commission President Sam Cho said after the approval.
It was proposed in early 2021, with Mr Cho hopeful that construction will begin as early as next year, with a ‘substantial completion’ in late 2026 or early 2027.
The new Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will follow the new Portland International Airport (PDX), with a mass timber roof the centrepiece of a USD 2.15 billion redevelopment of “America’s favourite airports.”
On track to be fully operational by May 2024 as part of a more extensive 5-year airport redevelopment, the Port of Portland reports that the USD 125 million roof has been installed over the main terminal.
The massive roof, which uses nearly 400 glulam beams, is 392,000 square feet in size – with 250 of the glulam beams 80 feet long – paired with 40,000 lattice pieces atop 34 Y columns.
Last month, Wood Central reported that the upgrade of the Kelowna International Airport is set to break ground later this month after Canada’s 10th-largest airport received funding through British Columbia’s Mass Timber Demonstration Program.
The Terminal Building Expansion Project (TBEP) is the largest infrastructure project in the airport’s history. It will feature a 4,500 square-metre roof’s mass timber “waffle” system made from cross-laminated timber panels.
