PHOTO BY RICHARD COOK
The New York Times called it the “airport of the future” — the 1.82 million-square-foot terminal complex at Pittsburgh International Airport that opened to great fanfare in 1992. With its landside and airside buildings, underground tram and novel, X-shaped gate courses, the terminal became a model for other airports around the world.
What a difference three decades make.
PHOTO: ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY
Heavy construction is now underway on a $1.4 billion, smaller terminal that promises to take the Steel City into the future by better matching air traffic, passenger volume and purpose.
Comparing the purpose of the future terminal to the current one is like comparing apples to oranges, says Paul Hoback, chief development officer for the Allegheny County Airport Authority. “It will be used completely differently.”
The current terminal, with 75 gates, was built to handle 35 million passengers for what was then a major USAir hub connection. The facility lost that hub in 2004, and in 2019 saw only 9.8 million passengers. Large swaths of the terminal are not being used but still must be maintained. The security checkpoints, with their growing needs, are crammed into spaces too small.
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INNOVATIONS
The Allegheny County Airport Authority has a memorandum of understanding with Carnegie Mellon University to help identify innovations or new technology — which could include autonomous shuttles to extended parking lots — but nothing has been decided. With many parking spaces moving to the garage, some of the extended lot could open up to commercial development.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority has a memorandum of understanding with Carnegie Mellon University to help identify innovations or new technology — which could include autonomous shuttles to extended parking lots — but nothing has been decided. With many parking spaces moving to the garage, some of the extended lot could open up to commercial development.
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PARKING
Plans call for a
3,300-space parking
garage, a threefold increase in covered parking. This garage
could be expanded to 5,000 spaces in the future. The facility would include ground transportation services and rental car companies.
Plans call for a
3,300-space parking
garage, a threefold increase in covered parking. This garage
could be expanded to 5,000 spaces in the future. The facility would include ground transportation services and rental car companies.
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CLOSE-IN PARKING
What the authority informally calls close-in lots will be constructed near the terminal. Exact configuration and names are still to be determined.
What the authority informally calls close-in lots will be constructed near the terminal. Exact configuration and names are still to be determined.
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THE ROOF
The design architects studied the region’s topography to come up with the terminal’s
undulating roof that mirrors the area’s rolling hills and allows pockets of light
into the public space.
The design architects studied the region’s topography to come up with the terminal’s
undulating roof that mirrors the area’s rolling hills and allows pockets of light
into the public space.
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STREAMLINED
The design would
reduce by half the time it takes for a passenger to get from curbside to airside, requiring only one level change through the terminal. For arriving travelers, there would be just one streamlined meeter/greeter location.
The design would
reduce by half the time it takes for a passenger to get from curbside to airside, requiring only one level change through the terminal. For arriving travelers, there would be just one streamlined meeter/greeter location.
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BAGGAGE
New baggage claim carousels will be longer than what is offered in the current terminal, allowing each carousel to hold more bags at one time.
New baggage claim carousels will be longer than what is offered in the current terminal, allowing each carousel to hold more bags at one time.
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BAGGAGE
New baggage claim carousels will be longer than what is offered in the current terminal, allowing each carousel to hold more bags at one time.
New baggage claim carousels will be longer than what is offered in the current terminal, allowing each carousel to hold more bags at one time.
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SECURITY
The main security checkpoint will be expanded. Airport officials are also
considering a family checkpoint that would offer those with children or passengers with disabilities a place “outside of the hustle and bustle to pass through at a slower pace,”
says Rick Lee, Terminal Modernization Project implementation manager.
The main security checkpoint will be expanded. Airport officials are also
considering a family checkpoint that would offer those with children or passengers with disabilities a place “outside of the hustle and bustle to pass through at a slower pace,”
says Rick Lee, Terminal Modernization Project implementation manager.
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A GREEN TERMINAL
Design features will be centered on elements of nature and sustainability and will incorporate clean-air technology. An art advisory panel, made up of a diverse group of individuals, is exploring what art will be displayed in the new terminal. Many of the popular features in the current airport — the Kidsport play space for children and Presley’s Place for travelers with sensory sensitivities, for example — would be included in the future terminal.
Design features will be centered on elements of nature and sustainability and will incorporate clean-air technology. An art advisory panel, made up of a diverse group of individuals, is exploring what art will be displayed in the new terminal. Many of the popular features in the current airport — the Kidsport play space for children and Presley’s Place for travelers with sensory sensitivities, for example — would be included in the future terminal.
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FRESH AIR SPACES
The design calls for 90,000 square feet of outdoor terraces with plants, tables and walking paths before and beyond security checkpoints, where people could wait to board their planes or just get fresh air. Hoback says he knows of no airport, at least in the U.S., that offers this much outdoor space accessible to the public.
The design calls for 90,000 square feet of outdoor terraces with plants, tables and walking paths before and beyond security checkpoints, where people could wait to board their planes or just get fresh air. Hoback says he knows of no airport, at least in the U.S., that offers this much outdoor space accessible to the public.
IMAGES INCLUDE ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS BY GENSLER + HDR IN ASSOCIATION WITH LUIS VIDAL + ARCHITECTS
The purpose of the future, 700,000-square-foot terminal, which broke ground on Oct. 14, is to serve travelers leaving Pittsburgh or flying here from elsewhere — not as a connection hub. The airy design will consolidate ticketing, security checkpoints and baggage claim and at the same time increase the area for concessions and retail — and provide more space for social distancing.
The terminal will be located between the C and D airside gate concourses; the airport authority, which operates the airport, will share construction videos and photos with the public at blueskypit.com and PITtransformed.com as work progresses.
“It will be a reflection of our city and region,” Hoback says of the future terminal. The design team — Gensler + HDR in association with Luis Vidal + Architects — spent days immersed in the Pittsburgh culture and determined the terminal had to contain three elements: nature, technology and community.
“It will represent the region’s greatest assets,” he says. “The airport should be a reflection of our vibrant city.”
The future terminal, with 51 gates, is expected to open in early 2025. Designed with flexibility in mind, it will be able to handle 12 million passengers — enough to meet expected demand through 2033 — but could expand to accommodate a much higher number, Hoback says.
The terminal would be powered by the airport’s microgrid, which is fueled by 10,000 solar panels and five natural-gas generators. Officials say no county tax dollars will be used to fund the airport — money will come from natural gas drilling on airport property, rental car fees, passenger facility charges and many other sources.
What will happen to the current landside terminal? That is still to be determined. Hoback says the No. 1 priority is to find another use for it, although $14 million has been set aside to demolish it if necessary. Current plans call for the Hyatt to remain where it is, with access to the new terminal still to be figured out.
Plans for the terminal’s high-tech bells and whistles will evolve as the grand opening nears, he says. Engineers, for example, are now testing touchless technology throughout the current terminal — such as waving a hand to activate elevators instead of pushing buttons. But who knows what not-yet-invented tech will benefit the terminal in three years?
