After seven years of design and planning work, the new North Terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport has opened.
The 35-gate, $1 billion terminal’s architectural form is an homage to the gentle curves of the Mississippi River and immerses visitors in the culture, geography, and history of New Orleans. Natural light streams into the terminal via skylights that are meant to evoke the city’s tree-shaded urban markets. The terminal’s three-story central atrium includes a jazz garden that will feature live music and a large glass-sealed image of oak trees in the morning fog taken by a local photographer is adjacent to the main elevator.
Designed for the maximum convenience of passengers, a single security checkpoint serves both foreign and domestic flights and adapts to accommodate large tourist crowds during special events like Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras. The terminal is easily navigable thanks to its layered, open feeling with prominent views of the airport. A unique concession program celebrates the city’s culinary, music, and arts heritage.
Extensive wind-tunnel modeling and on-site testing resulted in a glass curtain wall that is able to withstand hurricane-force winds and a spherical roof shape allows long spans while accommodating heavy rainfall.
See Also: COX Architecture and Zaha Hadid Architects will design the Western Sydney Airport
The terminal will accommodate the rapidly growing airport, which is now the fifth fastest growing airport in the U.S. The terminal’s design was developed and completed by the Crescent City Aviation Team (CCAT), a joint venture of Atkins and LEO A DALY. CCAT led the design of the airport terminal, its three concourses, concession program, two parking garages, aviation radar and electrical facilities, pump station, airside aprons, and landside roadway systems. The terminal design was based on an initial concept by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.
Related Stories
| May 19, 2014
What can architects learn from nature’s 3.8 billion years of experience?
In a new report, HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 partnered to study how lessons from the temperate broadleaf forest biome, which houses many of the world’s largest population centers, can inform the design of the built environment.
| May 13, 2014
19 industry groups team to promote resilient planning and building materials
The industry associations, with more than 700,000 members generating almost $1 trillion in GDP, have issued a joint statement on resilience, pushing design and building solutions for disaster mitigation.
| May 11, 2014
Final call for entries: 2014 Giants 300 survey
BD+C's 2014 Giants 300 survey forms are due Wednesday, May 21. Survey results will be published in our July 2014 issue. The annual Giants 300 Report ranks the top AEC firms in commercial construction, by revenue.
| Apr 29, 2014
USGBC launches real-time green building data dashboard
The online data visualization resource highlights green building data for each state and Washington, D.C.
| Apr 22, 2014
Bright and bustling: Grimshaw reveals plans for the Istanbul Grand Airport [slideshow]
In partnership with the Nordic Office of Architecture and Haptic Architects, Grimshaw Architects has revealed its plans for the terminal of what will be one of the world's busiest airports. The terminal is expected to serve 150 million passengers per year.
| Apr 9, 2014
Steel decks: 11 tips for their proper use | BD+C
Building Teams have been using steel decks with proven success for 75 years. Building Design+Construction consulted with technical experts from the Steel Deck Institute and the deck manufacturing industry for their advice on how best to use steel decking.
| Apr 4, 2014
$25 million Orion Jet Center designed by SchenkelShultz now open
As the centerpiece of the 45-acre campus, which is its first phase of a planned 215-acre mixed-use development, the 18,000 square foot executive terminal facility offers spacious passenger areas, administrative space, an executive suite, rental car kiosk, catering and a cafe.
| Apr 2, 2014
8 tips for avoiding thermal bridges in window applications
Aligning thermal breaks and applying air barriers are among the top design and installation tricks recommended by building enclosure experts.
| Mar 26, 2014
Callison launches sustainable design tool with 84 proven strategies
Hybrid ventilation, nighttime cooling, and fuel cell technology are among the dozens of sustainable design techniques profiled by Callison on its new website, Matrix.Callison.com.
| Mar 20, 2014
Common EIFS failures, and how to prevent them
Poor workmanship, impact damage, building movement, and incompatible or unsound substrate are among the major culprits of EIFS problems.
