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BRINGING THE OUTSIDE IN PDX’s New Terminal Has Hyperlocal Design, Natural Elements

BY SARAH BELING

oon, visitors flying to Portland International Airport (PDX) won’t even have to step outside

and restaurants, mezzanine, concourse connectors and security checkpoints will launch in May, while new lounges, restrooms, exit lanes, and additional concessions will open in 2025. Plans for the project began in 2011, says Allison Ferré, media relations manager for Port of Portland, “when the conversation turned from ‘should we make these upgrades to how should we make these upgrades to increase accessibility, capacity and resilience.’ But when we asked people who work at PDX, live around PDX and travel through PDX what we should do,” she adds, “the answer was: ‘don’t change it much, unless you make it more local’ — so that’s what the team set out to do.”

Above: The new terminal at Portland International Airport has a biophilic design that seeks to capture the landscape of the region. Architects have brought plant life into the terminal - including full-sized trees - and skylights bring in natural light. (photo credit: Courtesy of Port of Portland)

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to embrace the verdant, vibrant feel of the Pacific Northwest. The forthcoming new main terminal of the PDX Next project blends sustainable, modern amenities with hyperlocal design touches ranging from a Douglas fir timber roof to the (partial) reemergence of PDX’s beloved 1980s teal carpet, in an aesthetic that the airport team hopes travelers will embrace as “less like an airport, and more like a neighborhood.” The $2.15 billion dollar undertaking will open to the public in two phases: the new terminal’s check-in stations, garden, stores

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AX NEWS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024