Sea-Tac's Central Terminal Expansion

Project Renews View of Airfield

by Sheila Bacon

Sea-Tac's Central Terminal Expansion's steel topped out August 26. The addition to the west face of the central terminal building will house a roomier concessions area and feature a massive glass curtainwall. Photo courtesy of Sea-Tac International Airport

In some ways, the $133 million Central Terminal Expansion project at Sea-Tac International Airport is bringing the hub back to its roots.

The demolition of past building additions and the installation of a striking glass curtainwall are restoring a view of the airfield that has been obscured since 1947.

The central terminal's original design featured a spacious waiting area and rows of windows that looked out onto the airfield. Over the years, the addition of a gift shop, restaurant and other concessions slowly reconfigured the structure, until the only view of the runways was from the windows of the airport's sit-down restaurant, The Carvery.

This most recent renovation effort removes the view-blocking addition back to the original 1947 building face and adds 80,000 sq. ft. of new structure, fronted by a massive cable net glass curtain wall that looks onto the airfield. Sixty thousand sq. ft. of the exiting building is being remodeled, and the terminal's office space is receiving a seismic upgrade.

When the project starts wrapping up in January 2005, ticketed passengers as well as visitors will be afforded a view not only of jet traffic, but of the Olympic mountain range in the distance on a clear day.

"There will be very little to obstruct the view," said the Port's Brian Sweet, the project's construction manager.

The Carvery will be replaced by Anthony's restaurant, and a new group of about 20 concessions- restaurants, shops, and newsstands - will comprise the new Pacific Marketplace. The addition's 26,000-sq.-ft.food court is modeled after a sidewalk café, with a central seating area featuring large teak umbrella tables with hanging plants. Toward the glass curtain wall, a softer seating area has been designed with padded chairs and wood coffee tables.

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The expansion effort has been a long time coming, said Deanna Zachrisson**, Port of Seattle spokeswoman. The last major upgrade to the terminal building was in 1974. In 2000, 28 million passengers passed through terminal - far more than the 25 million it was designed to accommodate.

The upgrades will not only create more space, but also centralize the central terminal security checkpoints and tie together concourses A, B, C and D; restoring a sense of continuity that has been absent since 9-11 restructuring efforts. The expansion will also give the central terminal a much-needed facelift.

"People have expectations of what they find in an airport," said Zachrisson. "This will offer more space and more places to eat."

A Northwest Influence

"First, we oriented the spaces around a central security checkpoint, which increases efficiency and is more economical," said Thom Walsh, project manager for Denver, Colo. architecture firm Fentress Bradburn. "Then, we chose to orient the space around providing maximum visibility to the food, beverage and retail outlets, which provides maximum convenience to the traveling shopper."

Designers drew from Sea-Tac's surroundings to come up with a space that was a comfortable fit for the Pacific Northwest.

"Our design philosophy is called contextual regionalism," said Curtis Worth Fentress, Fentress Bradburn's principal in charge of design. "For this project, we were inspired by the original structure, the geography of the northwest and Pike Place Market."

A 300 ft. long, 50 ft. high cable net glass curtain wall offers views of the airfield and the Olympic mountain range in the distance. Image courtesy of Fentress Bradburn Architects

Perhaps the most noticeable outcome of the central terminal's expansion project will likely be the glass curtain wall. Horseshoe in plan and concave in elevation, the 60-ft. tall, 350-ft. wide cable-supported glass wall affords panoramic views of the airfield. It was

"The terminal's curtainwall as well as its overall massing are designed to capture the essence of the original 1947 central terminal," said Fentress.

The transparent wall will offer views of not only the airfield by of the Olympic mountain range on a clear day.

"This wall will introduce the light and open feeling that is characteristic of the Northwest," said Fentress.

Keeping the Calm

Coordinating a massive renovation effort around a facility operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week has been challenging for the project team as well as the users of the facility. Many port employees' offices are separated from the active jobsite by a temporary wall, which has eliminated office windows and, in many cases, drastically reduced the size of individual offices. As the addition encroaches onto the existing building, passenger routes are continually reworked.

Ensuring that construction work disrupts normal port operations as little as possible has been an important part of the project, said Kelly Roth, operations manager for J.E. Dunn (Bellevue, Wash.), the project's general contractor. Crews have worked closely with port staff to determine peak travel times, then scheduled noisy or intrusive tasks around those times. Asbestos abatement work required crews to build enclosures to ensure the safety of those in the airport.

: This historic photo of Sea-Tac's Central Terminal, taken from the airfield, shows the glass windows that used to front the building. The expansion project's new glass curtainwall seeks to reclaim the views long hidden by structural additions over the years. Photo courtesy of Sea-Tac International Airport

"Twenty four hours a day you have to be cognizant of port passengers and personnel," said Roth. "It's a busy place."

The Delta Airlines baggage handling area has been greatly affected by construction efforts, requiring close, frequent communication. Delta crews have operated under temporary decking while intense construction takes place just overhead. Reinforced concrete columns to support the new addition have been added, often just inches away from sensitive baggage screening and handling equipment. Near Delta's conveyor belts, construction crews have added shear walls and structural steel bracing to existing columns. Crews and port staffers met with Delta to coordinate construction efforts weekly, said Sweet, and convened with the baggage operation crew daily during intense construction periods.

"If the airlines weren't cooperative, we would never get this done," said Sweet.

Delivery of materials and equipment onto a secure jobsite requires intense planning as well. Access is restricted during certain times each day when airplane arrivals and departures are busiest. Delivery trucks are inspected before driving onto the airfield, and each vehicle is led and followed by escort trucks to ensure nothing falls off the trucks and onto the airfield. One errant nail could cause severe damage to an airplane if it punctured a tire or was drawn up into an engine.

From delivery of materials to delivery of the final project, careful coordination and attention to detail make the Central Terminal Expansion project unique.

"The project will be something travelers will be impressed with when it's finished," said Roth.

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