A designer working on Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport's domestic terminal modernization says the dramatic canopies that will go up over curbside areas are intended to create a "beautifully illuminated public space."
Kelly Yamanouchi
Kelly Yamanouchi
Ripley Rasmus of design and architecture firm HOK in an interview gave some insights into the thinking behind the new design for the domestic terminal, including the canopies and a re-imagined atrium with a "park-like setting."
Rasmus is lead designer and the principal-in-charge with the Hartsfield-Jackson + Partnership, a joint venture that has been working on the design of a $200 million portion of the terminal modernization since last May.
The 864-foot canopies will be made of steel frames that support two-layer sheets of transparent polymer, which will be inflated like "bubbles." They are covered with silvery dots that partially shield from the sun while still showing the sky, according to Rasmus.
The material is ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, a durable synthetic substance that will shelter travelers from rain and the elements, he said.
The curbside area will aim to evoke "being in a more natural setting," Rasmus said. "The present front of the terminal is very hard, it's all concrete and pavers," he said, while the new design is aimed at "connecting to Georgia and the landscape, the plant materials and green nature of Atlanta."
The canopy will also be illuminated at night, so "you can see the canopy glowing as kind of an icon, seen not only from the air but from the roadways... as kind of a big sign announcing your arrival or departure from the airport," Rasmus said.
Kelly Yamanouchi
Kelly Yamanouchi
The airport also envisions using different colored lighting inside the canopies for certain occasions.
Upper-level pedestrian walkways underneath the canopy will allow people parking in the airport garages to cross over to the terminal without dodging cars. The walkways will be designed with ramps down to the existing garage, and in the future will connect with larger reconstructed parking garages that will have eight levels instead of the current four levels.
Kelly Yamanouchi
Kelly Yamanouchi
"This is all about safety," reducing the need for pedestrians to cross the busy roads, Rasmus said. Travelers will instead use the pedestrian walkway to cross over to the terminal, then go downstairs for departures.
Departures and arrivals will remain on one level at the domestic terminal, he said, since baggage claim is on the same level as check-in counters. "It's still designed to have check-in on one end of the main level and bag claim on the other end," Rasmus said.
Construction of the canopies is expected to start in mid-2016 with foundation work, involving large trusses and columns that will be installed in the curbside areas. That could close off certain parts of the roadway to pedestrians in phases, Rasmus said. Auto traffic will continue to flow through.
The domestic terminal atrium will have power outlets in seating areas. Around the perimeter will be bar-height tables with power outlets, Rasmus said.
It will also serve as "kind of a metaphorical Atlanta park," Rasmus said. "We will have greenery in that space... to soften it up and to represent once again the character of Atlanta as a green city."
Kelly Yamanouchi
Kelly Yamanouchi
The terminal modernization is one part of Hartsfield-Jackson $6 billion 20-year master plan.
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