Portland International Airport, USA
American studio ZGF Architects has completed an expansion to the main terminal at Portland International Airport. ZGF Architects was tasked with essentially doubling the operational space, unifying facilities and mechanical systems that have been built in different phases since the 1950s. To keep the airport operational during renovations, the architect opted to prefabricate the massive, arching roof on a separate area on the airport property, away from the terminal. Skylights and mechanical components were all completed during the prefabrication process. ZGF Architects worked with landscape studio PLACE to install 72 large trees – some as tall as 25 feet (7.6 meters) – and 5,000 plants. The experience of the airport was designed to resemble walking through a forest, according to the studio.
Draped over the entirety of the central terminal, which includes an entry program, ticket counters, concessions, and gates, the airport's giant roof features an undulating pattern with 49 skylights. This roof was made from metal and glued-laminated timber (glulam) that forms over 37000 square meters of beams and lattice and spans 3.64 hectares. These glulam beam and lattice is supported by a grid of 34 Y-shaped columns that branch upwards 36 feet above the terminal floor. The lattice is comprised of nearly 35,000 three-by-six-inch pieces of Douglas fir. The last phases of the project are expected to be completed in 2026.
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