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Issue link: http://airportbusiness.epubxp.com/i/618921
TERMINAL DESIGN 20 airportbusiness December 2015/January 2016 The $55 million multi-level parking garage recently opened toward the northwest corner of the existing parking facility. It features a smart parking space locator system and a pedestrian bridge to the terminal. The modified roadway features additional spots for curbside drop off and an access point to the main check in hall. "There were also several related projects like a new central utility plant and the relocation of several facilities that were part of the project," says Massey. The two-story, 280,000-square-foot, termi- nal building features five international gates capable of handling narrow-body aircraft, such as the Boeing 737 and the A318-320. Southwest Airlines is staking a claim to four of the five gates, leaving one for other carriers to use. The first level of the terminal houses bag- gage claim, U.S. Customs & Border Protection and Federal Inspection Services (FIS), while t he s ec ond level of fers a n ex p a n s ive new Southwest A i rl ines ticket counter, gate hold rooms, and passenger amenities such as restrooms and 16,000 square-feet of concessions and retail space. The new FIS facility features 16 primary/passport inspection stations and three baggage claim areas. "The CBP facility is sized to handle up to 800 to 1,000 passengers per hour while the ter- minal can be built out to 12 gates in the future if necessary," says Massey. The new concessions area within the inter- national terminal is home to several well-known vendors. There are two Peet's Coffee Shops, a Chick-file-A, a Pappasito's Cantina restaurant and bar, and a Yia Yia Mary's. A duty-free shop also resides in this area. In addition to these amenities, travelers are treated to seats with electrical connections. In fact, every other seat has an electrical connection. MOVING THROUGH While the majority of the project represents new construction (90 percent), portions of the space came from an existing security checkpoint and ticket hall in the middle of the existing terminal. According to Massey a new ticketing hall was built to allow crews to completely reconfigure and expand the existing space into a security checkpoint. "The existing checkpoint at Hobby Airport was notorious for having very long wait times," Massey says. "They had eight lines of security but it was in a very cramped space, and the queuing for the security checkpoint was circu- itous and not nearly adequate in size." He notes that the existing floor plan was inefficient and restricted throughput. "There was an old stair tower in the way that was no longer being used, and some columns were holding up a floor above that was not being used," he says. "We took out the old parts of the building that were not used anymore to create more queue for the passengers, which allowed flow through the security lanes to increase in speed." These changes allowed the airport to offer eight security lanes within the same building footprint. Massey points out there are currently three lanes in operation but the space offers enough room for five more. FIND YOUR WAY The layout within the facility needed to be intu- itive as well, adds Massey. "We wanted to make sure people coming into the new portion of the check-in all were able to intuitively flow toward the security check point, so the architectural