The terminal project stretches back around 12 years to a time of master planning at the port. Officials first discussed immediate needs—like more parking and a better light- rail connection— but talk eventually spread to the main terminal building and passenger- processing area. Constructed in 1958, it had become cramped,out of date and, due to its innate “inflexibility,” was determined to require a total overhaul. Four years later, the Port began planning the current project with its airline partners, the project’s main backers. The PDX Next campaign would include smaller-scale concourse reconfigurations and bite-size improvements to light rail and bike-trail amenities, and further out, the daunting $2.1 billion terminal expansion. Officials wanted a new terminal that would be sustainable and reflect the unique character of Oregon and the Portland area. It should be spacious and flexible and tie in with the broader look of the airport. It there is in a clear sky, so what we did was just harvest it.” At either side of the terminal are security checkpoints. Above each is a massive video wall that will display scenes of natural beauty — sunny forests, gentle waves, etc. — that will change throughout the year to reflect external conditions. The video wall relates to a commitment to “biophilic” design, the architectural concept that indoor spaces should connect — and connect the human users — to the outdoors. Airports are cold, hard, stressful places, the thinking goes. So ZGF and its team incorporated nature throughout the terminal, from curvy shapes to warm colors to the 54 black olive, ficus nitida and podocarpus trees intended to create in passengers a feeling of walking through a forest as they gird themselves to pass through TSA airport security. Interior landscaping was placed at “stress points” in the terminal, explained architect J.P. Paull of the landscape design firm PLACE. Chief among them are areas that lead to security stations. “Anything that you can do to soften the experience is going to help,” Paull says. “In particular, people react to plant types not as a uniform element but as a multidimensional one. You can put down one plant type and that will help reduce people’s stress. But if you can provide something that has multiple different types of plants and textures, that’s going to reduce stress even more. And that’s what we tried to do.” The new terminal’s ceiling features Douglas fir sourced from 11 sustainably managed forests in the Pacific Northwest. “We wanted it to be a civic place that would celebrate Oregon in many ways. Celebrate the natural beauty, the natural materials, and also celebrate the skill and the craftsmanship.” GENE SANDOVAL, PARTNER, ZGF ARCHITECTS ZGF Architects partner Gene Sandoval stands beside a model of the terminal ceiling. 37
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==