Sara Schmidt and Pratt + Larson’s rose mural near Gate D5.
Quick update: This article was written in 2022. The new PDX (which has even more tile mosaics) is here! Want to meet it?
It's probably been a while since anyone has told you to go the bathroom.
But if you're traveling through Concourse B or passing Gate D5 in Concourse D, we suggest you take a detour to look at the bathroom. On the inner wall of the entrance, you'll find two of PDX's newest treasures: tile mosaic murals designed by Sara Schmidt and fabricated by Pratt + Larson, Portland-based tile makers. (The Concourse B mural is a pattern of ferns, while the Concourse D mosaic is a field of roses.)
You’ll spot Sara Schmidt and Pratt + Larson’s fern mural at the entrance to the Concourse B bathrooms.
These artworks, installed in 2021, are not just a marvel to look at. Each mosaic showcases the excellence of local artisanship, not to mention an astounding amount of work.
How much work? Pratt + Larson owners Belle Iskowitz and Anthony Asch, longtime employees who bought the Inner Southeast factory from founders Michael Pratt and Reta Larson in 2017, came up with some figures:
That's the total number of 1-inch-by-1-inch ceramic tiles used in the two murals, which cover more than 1,000 square feet of wall space in total.
Every single tile was made to order in the company's three-story factory, using ceramic clay produced specifically for Pratt + Larson by Georgie's Clay & Ceramic in Northeast Portland.
Working in wet clay, the tile makers stamp out 100 one-inch-by-one-inch tiles at a time using a pneumatic cutter. Teams working quickly can stamp out 40,000 tiles a day, which then spend several days drying before being bisque-fired in large kilns that keep the basement warm even on the chilliest day.
Once the tiles cool, workers patiently arrange the 1-by-1-inch tiles in metal frames before bringing them up to the factory's third floor for glazing.
Pratt + Larson makes tiles to order for every project, and clients can choose from hundreds of colors in their library of glazes. When Sara Schmidt was designing the rose and fern mosaics, she worked with Arthur Moloian, director of business development at Pratt + Larson, for several months to select 19 glossy glazes. The designer then created complex maps to show the team how each of the 147,168 tiles should be arranged.
To give each tile its glossy top coat, the glazing team mixes up precise recipes of frits (partially fused glass) and minerals to create the glazes. One worker hand-sprays the trays of tiles with the glaze, and then a second wipes off any excess—from every single tile. The tiles are fired for a second time in small electric kilns to melt the glazes.
Belle and Anthony estimate that 20 sets of hands touched each tile produced for the murals. That included Pratt + Larson’s quality assurance team, who inspected each tile, as well as the mosaic team, who arranged the tiles into 1-square-foot sheets according to the diagrams Sara gave them.
It took even more sets of skilled hands to install the mosaic mural. A crew from Prestige Tile & Stone, an Aloha business owned by Nancy Bebek, worked with Sara on site to carefully arrange the sheets on the floor, making sure every piece was correctly aligned, before fixing the mosaic to the wall.
When Pratt + Larson's 75 staff members fly out of PDX, they now like to make a detour so they can take selfies in front of the murals.
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 2,000 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 Skokomish 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."
In the 1950s, back when people wore fancy hats to the airport, PDX’s main terminal had brown terrazzo floors.
By the 1970s, blue carpet sporting the old Port of Portland logo replaced the terrazzo. The airport was so concerned about keeping the carpet clean that we banned gum-chewing indoors.
In the 1980s, PDX replaced the ski-chalet paneling in the Clocktower Plaza with high ceilings and skylights, but kept the blue carpet.
SRG Partnership, a Portland-based architecture firm, designed the pattern for the now-iconic carpet on the layout of the airport runways.
The Clocktower Plaza, post-1988, with the iconic carpet.
The Clocktower Plaza (before its demolition in 2021-22) with the new carpet.
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.
PDX’s swanky new bar, Juliett, honors women in aviation with mid-20th-century style, top-class cocktails, and local wines and beers.
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.
Concourse B's 38-foot-high ceilings and 6,900 square feet of windows don't just let light in. They let you watch the airport in action. "I think this airport gave us a chance to celebrate the romance of flight," says Gene Sandoval of ZGF, the architecture firm that designed the new concourse.
ZGF Architects was inspired to bring the Pacific Northwest’s natural world indoors. You can contemplate the plants hanging from the ceiling and the Oregon white-oak walls as you relax in B’s comfy new seats. (Bonus: More power adapters!)
RYAN! Feddersen’s art installation, which fills the concourse, is made up of three interconnected pieces. The “Sentinel” landscapes and abstract “Habitat Tiles” are pictured here.
RYAN! is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. She draws inspiration from the region’s traditions and landscape for these pieces, which include the gently rolling “Cloud Walk” overhead.
Nicole and David Mouton, in partnership with HMSHost, opened an outpost of Portland’s beloved Screen Door Restaurant on Concourse B. Find Screen Door’s legendary fried chicken and waffles here from breakfast until dinnertime.
Sam and Nick Purvis, the brothers behind Good Coffee, source fresh coffee beans and teas from all over the world. Pick up a pastry or a bag of beans, too!
Our new rental car center opened in November 2021.
All rental car brands are now on-site at PDX – no more shuttles to pick up your car.
Perez Westbrooks' colorful digital mural celebrates Northwest flora.
Ben Butler's swirling wood sculpture is made from reclaimed Douglas fir.
The new facility also adds 30 ADA parking spots, more than 30 electric vehicle charging stations, and 2,200 long-term parking spaces to the airport.
Adding more lanes to our new, relocated exit toll plaza helps you leave PDX more quickly.
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.
You’ll notice subtle nods to the Pacific Northwest landscape throughout the space. Natural light, living trees, and native Oregon foliage may give you the feeling of walking through a park.
The new terminal’s wooden ceiling, made from sustainably grown, local Doug fir, might remind you of daylight filtering through forest canopies.
This will be your new view when entering the spacious ticket lobby at PDX. The nine-acre wood roof is so distinctive you’ll be able to spot it from the air.
The ripples and currents of pristine Northwest rivers inspired the new terminal’s curvy profile.
Expanding the heart of PDX creates more space for our beloved local shops and restaurants — not to mention local humans (and visitors, too).