New renderings show off the very PNW designs for PDX
Published May 03, 2021
There’s one lush scene everyone will experience at PDX when the new terminal opens in 2025: a park-like environment filled with live trees, understory ferns and dappled rays pouring in from the overhead skylights. Architects call this area the “seam,” because it will mark your pathway from the ticket lobby into the public market and security checkpoints beyond. But this seam is more enchanting than its low-key nickname might imply.
“It’ll be the Instagram moment,” says Lia Peacock, designer at ZGF, with a laugh. In other words, the vibe of the space will probably draw our attention away from those customary shoe selfies. (Don’t worry: The airport will still have plenty of carpet, along with other flooring materials better suited to certain new spaces.) There’s a Pacific Northwest wow factor to the main terminal designs that Lia hopes travelers experience when they pass through it for the first time. She calls it an “immersive forest experience,” which sounds like our kind of thing.
The seam is only one of several airport designs we’re getting a closer look at in this series of new visuals, delivered to you fresh from the architects’ desks. These images, which we’re officially unveiling here, give you a preview of the future views. They also hint at a pretty lofty goal: Create a flexible, open and inviting terminal that not only serves the region for years to come, but also embodies the PDX spirit.
“My experience with airports is that they’re typically just a place to pass through, and the experience is not that exciting,” says Christian Schoewe, architect at ZGF. “I genuinely feel like this reimagined main terminal will be a destination that embodies the ‘walk in the forest’ concept we’ve been talking about. Even if you are just passing through, we hope your experience will feel relaxed rather than rushed.”
To get our bearings, we asked several members of the ZGF architecture team to walk us through the new designs — that’s a figurative walk for now. But the context they share might give you a bit more insight into what a stroll through the main terminal will one day look like.
View from above
We’ll start our tour of the new designs with a little levitation: From this eastward-facing vantage, you see the west side of the completed new main terminal. “The thing that probably stands out the most to people when they look at this is the curvature of the roof,” says Rena Simon, designer at ZGF. “And really, that all started from thinking about the scale of this terminal and not wanting it to feel like one giant space, but actually a series of rooms.” So even as the interiors become more spacious and flexible, the designers are taking care to keep the intimate PDX feeling.
The timber roof
Next, let’s zoom in closer on the west side of the terminal. Here we see the mass-timber roof: a lattice design inspired by local weaving traditions and crafted from sustainably harvested timber. In fact, every lattice piece will be traceable back to its forest of origin — a love letter to the small families, Pacific Northwest tribes and other landowners that contributed to the project. Even in this vast space, you can envision yourself sipping Willamette Valley wine in the upper mezzanine or hanging out with your kids in the comfy chairs on the lower level. “This really captures how we take this sprawling space, but break it down into segments that don’t feel overbearing,” says Christian. “That’s what I like about the forest analogy: You may feel small next to a towering Douglas fir, but the layers of the forest canopy make you feel at ease.”
The airport’s new park
Now we have our backs to the ticket halls, where travelers drop their luggage before heading toward the security checkpoints. “We used the landscape as a wayfinding tool,” Lia says. “Passengers will know where they are. The landscape also signals where they need to go to reach their destination.” Here’s where you might get the sensation of wandering through one of the Portland area’s many greenspaces. Everything down to the selection of plants is intended to evoke that sense of place. ZGF teamed with landscape architects at PLACE to select plants that not only could survive in this bustling environment, but also resemble Pacific Northwest trees, ferns and other leafy plant life. (Most of the region’s native flora would not thrive inside planters or the airport’s busy environments.)
The hanging gardens of PDX
“Once you’ve made your way through security, you’re offered this view to the airfield and the surrounding landscapes,” says Rena in describing this southern edge of the terminal. A wall currently blocks this view. Opening the space offers a moment to pause. It also celebrates the romance of flying — giving families a prime vantage to watch planes landing and taking off on the airfield. ZGF assures us those big chairs are as cozy as they look — and a lot more comfortable than most furniture in other airports. Rena says even the rays will be gentle and soft, as the wood screens and overhead “hanging gardens” are all about providing “visual comfort and beautiful daylight.”
Future favorite hangout spot
“Did you say your gate is in Concourse C? Well, look at that — it’s right over there. And we’ve got some time to spare. How about we grab something at this cafe first?” OK, none of the architects said any of that. But it sounds like the sort of thing we could say to each other when we pass one of the many restaurants and shops inside the new terminal, which will have more room dedicated to local businesses. This rendering shows one of those dining areas inspired by Portland’s cafe scene, those “third places” that a lot of us have missed spending time in over the course of the pandemic. Thankfully, in the not-so-distant future, we might bump into you chilling in one of those rusty-orange chairs before your flight. “This is going to be a really nice spot to hang out,” Lia says. And we’ve got to agree.
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The flexible interior spaces were designed with the future of travel in mind — and to give you plenty of comfortable spots to recharge before your next flight.
Two permanent installations from acclaimed contemporary artist Jacob Hashimoto hang like clouds above the concourse’s common areas.
Shops and restaurants are clustered together like city blocks, with a pedestrian-friendly scale and lots of room to spread out.
Artist Jacob Hashimoto’s canopy of kite-like discs reflects the atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, with locally inspired graphics incorporated throughout.
Sky-high windows fill the interior with daylight while maximizing the concourse extension’s energy efficiency.
At the east end of the concourse, a wall of windows opens up this epic view of Mt. Hood, where you’ll definitely want to pose for a photo before takeoff.
The Concourse E extension project is the dedicated home for Southwest Airlines at PDX, with six new gates.
Remember the view of Mt. Hood on Concourse E? It’s coming back, brighter than ever.
Tillamook’s menu includes the best of the classics with fried cheese curds and a signature grilled cheese.
Calliope takes its name from one of Oregon’s native hummingbirds and showcases creative and playful keepsakes.
Grab your favorite book, magazine or newspaper at Your Northwest Travel Mart.
Remember the feeling of walking through an Oregon forest for the first time?
That feeling inspired the design of the new Concourse B.
An early movement flow study for the new Concourse B.
The new Concourse B has great exposure to southern light.
Interior rendering for the new Concourse B.
The new Concourse B has Pacific Northwest touches like warm wood panels and indoor greenery.
Exterior rendering of the new Concourse B.
The six new ground loading gates for Alaska Airlines are bigger and brighter.
Our new rental car center opens in 2021.
Movable plants and furniture make the space flexible.
When the new rental car center opens in 2021, you won’t need a shuttle to pick up your car.
Interior acoustical materials help reduce noise.
The new facility also provides more long-term parking, new office spaces, and a new and relocated parking toll plaza building.
A new exit plaza opened in November 2019.
Every design decision we make is about keeping the heart and soul of PDX intact. You’ll see homages to all the things you love about our city and region in the new airport designs.
The new terminal’s wooden roof (as seen in this close-up rendering, right) might remind you of daylight filtering through forest canopies.
You’ll notice subtle nods to Pacific Northwest elements throughout the new space. The ripples and currents of our pristine rivers, for example, are inspiring the undulating flow of the wooden roof, as depicted in this architectural model (right).
We’re filling the new main terminal with a lot of Portland love — both in terms of regionally sourced materials and, well, doughnuts. (C’mon, what would PDX be without doughnuts?)
You’ll see a scene something like this when you enter the more spacious ticket lobby at PDX. This early architectural rendering previews the vision for the iconic wooden roof — inspired by Pacific Northwest nature, craft and our partly sunny skies.
Natural light, living trees and native Oregon foliage might give you the feeling of walking through a park, as this early architectural rendering shows.
Expanding the heart of the airport creates more spaces for the local shops and restaurants you love. Architects are thoughtfully planning these public spaces to resemble the human-friendly scale of your favorite Portland neighborhoods.
Tom Strong - Chief Executive Officer, Skokomish Indian Tribe, Skokomish Washington
"We're foresters in that we're stewards," says Tom Strong, Chief Executive Officer of the Skokomish Indian Tribe, which manages 200 acres of Washington forests for its 800 tribal members. "We're not cutting and planting, seeking to develop our lands into a commodity. Instead, we're doing it to restore the forest."
Over the past 100 years, the two dams on the North Fork River have had a major impact on the entire ecosystem of Skokomish land. "We want to restore the entire Hood Canal watershed," Tom says. The forests are just one part.
Selling wood from Douglas fir trees the tribe selectively thinned will help fund this restoration. "We don't have an endless amount of money," Tom says. "But we would like to think we've got an endless amount of time."
Ben Hayes - Co-owner, Hyla Woods, Cherry Grove, Oregon
Ben Hayes is a sixth-generation forester who manages Hyla Woods, outside Cherry Grove, Oregon, with his father, Peter. He is also a sustainable-forestry consultant. At Hyla Woods, the Hayes experiment with selective thinning and patch cutting, instead of clear-cutting, to foster diversity of tree species, ages, and sizes.
"When you look 100 years out, having greater complexity in terms of species and the structure of the forest, you can increase the forest's resilience in the face of extreme weather and drought," he says.
"We're working toward a model of forestry that you could practice for the perpetual future,” Ben says. “It's a model that lifts up both rural and urban communities and the ecosystems we rely on."
Richard and Ann Hanschu - Owners, Doneen, Forest Grove, Oregon
Ann Hanschu's father first bought land outside Forest Grove, Oregon, in 1956. Ann grew up trailing her father around the forest, learning from him. The Hanschus now have three children, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Richard says, "We're planting trees that our grandchildren will see the profits from — not even our children. It's long-range thinking."
"A lot of the timber is older,” Ann adds. “We're laddering it with trees of different age groups — some 30-40 years old, some 10-20 years old — so the land can continue to produce a sustainable amount of wood."
Herman Flamenco - Central Cascades Conservation Forester, The Nature Conservancy, Cle Elum, Washington
"We know historically that the stands we're working on were overstocked," says Herman Flamenco, Central Cascades conservation forester for the Nature Conservancy, of the 50,000 acres outside Cle Elum, Washington, the organization manages. Thinning the trees welcomes in light and biodiversity.
Some loggers in the region worry that this low-impact approach to forestry yields less lumber, and less profit, than clear-cutting. One local outfit took on this labor-intensive challenge, selectively harvesting Doug fir trees from steep slopes.
"Western Washington is wetter. In our dry climate, there's less moisture and increased fire risk," Herman says. "As we look at climate change, it's just going to get dryer. We want to make sure we can keep our forests around."