Airport Experience® News - Leadership & Culture Issue 2023

LATEST BUZZ

Left: Paradies Lagardère will open Jetero Market, an artisan boutique named after the group of Houston businessmen who bought the airport land in 1957, as part of the expanded retail program in the international terminal.

After working with Fentress Architects on plans for the facility, construction began in 2020, with the D-West Pier slated for completion in spring 2024 and the ICP in 2025. One of the project’s central landmarks is a 380-foot feature wall designed to reduce unwanted afternoon sun exposure as well as to project ever-changing, localized displays for occasions such as holidays and local sports team events. “It’s a real statement piece for the airport system — we’ve got five-star infrastructure and five-star decor,” says Szczesniak of the large-scale piece. “When the Astros are in the World Series, we can do Astros colors. We can do Fourth of July red, white and blue — we’ve got a lot of options in that feature wall.” Using a Houston-riverway inspired palette of yellow, orange, blue and purple LED bulbs, the wall also displays the progression of time in the Houston skyline, while the intricately choreographed lighting is simultaneously designed to represent a circadian rhythm and gently ease jet-lagged travelers off their international flights. Another striking statement? The series of original artworks planned for installation throughout the ICP and D-West Pier. “The Houston Airport System was named the best art program in the world by Skytrax, and we’re continuing to build on that,” says Szczesniak of IAH’s commitment to

supporting local art. Triptychs by Houston based artists Emilie Duval, Gerardo Rosales, Reginald Adams, Lovie Olivia, Emanual Bean, Leslie Gaworecki, Marlo Saucedo, Nick Vaughan, and Jake Margolin will adorn the pier’s new gate houses, while the ICP will feature a large-scale oculus with decorative LEDs and art features for travelers to enjoy from security check-in to departure. Dining and Retail Plans As for new dining and retail experiences in the terminal, concessionaires SSP America and Paradies Lagardère — each having won 10-year contracts in Terminal D through a 2021 RFP process — will open several additional concepts in a mix of well-known national brands and cherished local businesses. “We’ll have a collection of places at both the pier and what we call ‘the knuckle’ — the area of connection between the pier and the main terminal,” says Szczesniak of the planned amenities. For the team at SSP, the chance to expand the concessionaire’s footprint was an attractive one. Kyle Phillips, vice president, concepts & development at SSP America says the company looks forward to debuting new eateries in a planned two-phased opening, including local concepts that create a sense of place. The company will operate new

Above: The Annie Café and Bar, a fresh take on Texas-influenced American cuisine, and The Kitchen, a chef-driven, global cuisine contemporary eatery, are two new local restaurants that will be built out in the expanded terminal.

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AX NEWS LEADERSHIP ISSUE 2023