Slide the arrow back and forth to see the Oregon Market before the demolition work began (left photo) as well as its current state (right photo).
Quick update: This article was written in 2022. The new PDX is here! Want to meet it?
Sometimes, you gotta break things. Tear it down to rebuild it. Make a little noise.
This spring, we're excited to reach a new phase in the PDX Next project: preparing the main terminal so we can slide the new roof over top. That said, it might get a little loud.
Last year, you may remember, the airport erected temporary walls behind the ticketing counters and closed off the Oregon Market. We also installed bypasses to get from the security areas to Concourses C and D. What you haven't seen is that, in those blocked-off zones, construction crews have been stripping the top two floors down to steel columns and concrete slabs.
Now it's time to demolish the remaining 150,000 square feet of structures. If you're traveling through the airport or working at PDX from early April through June, you may hear or even feel the construction, particularly in the ticketing and security areas.
When the new main terminal opens in 2024, the Oregon Market is getting a glow-up, too.
Here are five steps we're taking to lessen the noise:
You’ll find dispensers for earplugs in both the north and south ticket lobbies, just before the TSA checkpoints. The plugs are free for anyone passing through the airport to use. If you or someone you’re traveling with has different sensory needs, such as autism or dementia, stop by the Travel Oregon Welcome Center—located pre-security in the baggage claim area—for a free sensory kit. Each kit contains noise-cancelling headphones, a fidget device, an emotional thermometer, and a Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard. After passing through security, you can also make your way to the Sensory Room in Concourse D, which is designed specifically for folks with sensory needs.
2. Building extra walls.Instead of exposing the interior of the airport to the elements, we've built "weather walls" between the terminal and the construction. Those 6-inch-thick, weatherproof walls also provide sound insulation — and in certain spots, we're adding two extra inches of drywall to dampen the noise even further.
3. Following the demolition plan.In order to minimize disruption in the airport, a team of engineers have developed a careful demolition plan, and the construction crews will move from the roof down and from the west wall inward. This will help reduce noise, too. "As the structures open up," Hoffman Skanska JV project manager Patrick Bifone explains, "the sound will have a place to escape instead of bouncing around and echoing."
4. Muffling the sound.The construction crews will use thick sound blankets to absorb vibration and noise. Sometimes they'll hang the blankets around a zone like a screen. Other times the crews will wrap the blanket around a piece they're cutting into. In addition, Hoffman Skanska will set fat Styrofoam pads underneath the concrete they are breaking up to catch any rubble that falls—and dampen the sound.
5. Monitoring the noise level.Jen Reynolds, Construction Impacts Coordinator for PDX, says, "We will monitor noise levels, and our commitment is that we're always within compliance levels set by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health)." Most of the demolition work will take place on weekdays. If a specific task produces intense noise and vibration, Hoffman Skanska may only work on it for a few hours at a time, or have nighttime crews complete the work when the airport is less crowded.
Jen adds that the farther you move down the concourses toward your gate, the quieter it will get. Stop in one of the concourse concessions for a bite and a drink — or watch a short film at the Hollywood Theatre on Concourse C — and you may never notice the construction taking place several hundred yards away.
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).