Quick update: This article was written in 2023. The new PDX is here! Want to meet it?
If you’d ask all of us working on the PDX Next project to take stock of 2022, we’d have to say that it was a year to remember. Just as we promised last January, we demolished the remains of the Clocktower Plaza, erected giant steel Y-columns on the site of the new main terminal, and slid a nine-acre wood roof overtop. In fact, we passed the halfway point for the entire airport expansion project. While we know that it has added confusing new walls and detours to your PDX visit, we’re pleased that the work didn’t interrupt a single flight.
Phew.
With the roof in place, we have a whole new set of resolutions for 2023 in order to get the main terminal ready for the public in mid-2024:
Resolution 1: Build the main terminal, starting from the top.
“Normally, when you build a large structure, you build from the bottom up: from the foundations to the steel framing, the walls, and the roof,” says Vince Granato, head of PDX Next special projects for the Port of Portland. “We're doing it from the top down.”
The reason for this topsy-turvy approach? Making sure the construction won’t disrupt the airport’s 24-7 operations.
Wade Huber, senior superintendent with Hoffman Skanska Joint Venture, says that this winter, the teams on site are “stitching together” the roof pieces they’ve just moved into place, connecting and securing the electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinkler systems. Over the next 10 months, Hoffman Skanska and its partners will erect the steel framing for the building. Then they’ll pour the concrete slab for the upper story (the departures level), followed by the floor for the lower (arrivals) level.
Resolution 2: Hang the ‘curtain wall’.
At the same time that they’re pouring concrete and bolting steel girders, the construction crews will be installing one of the main terminal’s most innovative features: the exterior “curtain wall.”
With most structures, says Glen Justice, a principal with ZGF Architects, the exterior walls are supported from the ground up by the building’s steel frame. At PDX, they’ll be hanging the exterior wall – covered in giant windows – from the roof. The reason? Seismic safety. “We're taking advantage of the fact that the roof is a seismically resilient structure,” Glen says. “The Y columns that come up through the building each have isolators on top that allow the roof to move independently of the rest of the structure. If the roof moves, so will the exterior curtain wall.”
Resolution 3: Install the new heating system.
Starting this spring, when you’re driving to the airport you may spot a few digging sites and massive pipes alongside the road that leads up to the main terminal. According to Kip Storey, who’s also a principal at ZGF, these are signs of the tunnel that crews are building underneath the road so they can install a super-efficient ground source heat pump. (We’ll give you the inside scoop on this groundbreaking technology later in the year.)
Resolution 4: Debut the new taxi-rideshare space.
If you’ve taken a taxi or rideshare from the airport this year, you’ve probably met your ride at Traffic Island 2, which we created to ease traffic congestion on the arrivals level. This summer, we’re streamlining traffic even more by creating a dedicated area in the parking garage where taxis and rideshare drivers can pick up passengers.
According to Steve Koester, interim senior manager at the airport, when PDX moved all the rental car agencies to the new rental car center in late 2021, it freed up space on the first floor of the short-term parking garage. “It's already set up for separate entry and exit,” he says. “It feels like a nice fit to move taxis and rideshares there.” Once the renovations to the garage are finished, PDX visitors will be able to get to the new pickup spot via the tunnel from the baggage claim area.
Resolution 5: Get the site ready for new restaurants and shops.
By October 2023, the people building the new main terminal will have hung the entire curtain wall, protecting the interior from the elements. Once they can control the temperature and humidity inside the terminal, they’ll start installing the flooring and constructing the ticket counters and security screening systems — as well as the concessions spaces. This spring, look for an announcement from us about 23 new restaurants and retail shops moving into the terminal. (The first 14 will open in August 2024!) In summer 2024, we’ll be able to give these businesses the keys to their new homes, so to speak, so they can transform them into welcoming spaces.
Good and Bad News for Curious Visitors
If you’re itching to see how the work at PDX is progressing over the course of 2023, sadly, you’ll have to do it online. All this work will take place behind the temporary wall in the main terminal’s ticketing area. If we do everything right, you won’t see or hear it! On the upside, it won’t affect your trip.
You may catch a glimpse of the terminal taking shape from a few spots in Concourses C and D, as well as the east end of the parking garage. But don’t worry! We’ll be sharing plenty of behind-the-scenes photos and videos through the PDXNext.com website, the email newsletter, and our Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Tom Strong - Chief Executive Officer, Skokomish Indian Tribe, Skokomish Washington
"We're foresters in that we're stewards," says Tom Strong, Chief Executive Officer of the Skokomish Indian Tribe, which manages 2,000 acres of Washington forests for its 800 tribal members. "We're not cutting and planting, seeking to develop our lands into a commodity. Instead, we're doing it to restore the forest."
Over the past 100 years, the two dams on the North Fork Skokomish River have had a major impact on the entire ecosystem of Skokomish land. "We want to restore the entire Hood Canal watershed," Tom says. The forests are just one part.
Selling wood from Douglas fir trees the tribe selectively thinned will help fund this restoration. "We don't have an endless amount of money," Tom says. "But we would like to think we've got an endless amount of time."
Ben Hayes - Co-owner, Hyla Woods, Cherry Grove, Oregon
Ben Hayes is a sixth-generation forester who manages Hyla Woods, outside Cherry Grove, Oregon, with his father, Peter. He is also a sustainable-forestry consultant. At Hyla Woods, the Hayes experiment with selective thinning and patch cutting, instead of clear-cutting, to foster diversity of tree species, ages, and sizes.
"When you look 100 years out, having greater complexity in terms of species and the structure of the forest, you can increase the forest's resilience in the face of extreme weather and drought," he says.
"We're working toward a model of forestry that you could practice for the perpetual future,” Ben says. “It's a model that lifts up both rural and urban communities and the ecosystems we rely on."
Richard and Ann Hanschu - Owners, Doneen, Forest Grove, Oregon
Ann Hanschu's father first bought land outside Forest Grove, Oregon, in 1956. Ann grew up trailing her father around the forest, learning from him. The Hanschus now have three children, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Richard says, "We're planting trees that our grandchildren will see the profits from — not even our children. It's long-range thinking."
"A lot of the timber is older,” Ann adds. “We're laddering it with trees of different age groups — some 30-40 years old, some 10-20 years old — so the land can continue to produce a sustainable amount of wood."
Herman Flamenco - Central Cascades Conservation Forester, The Nature Conservancy, Cle Elum, Washington
"We know historically that the stands we're working on were overstocked," says Herman Flamenco, Central Cascades conservation forester for the Nature Conservancy, of the 50,000 acres outside Cle Elum, Washington, the organization manages. Thinning the trees welcomes in light and biodiversity.
Some loggers in the region worry that this low-impact approach to forestry yields less lumber, and less profit, than clear-cutting. One local outfit took on this labor-intensive challenge, selectively harvesting Doug fir trees from steep slopes.
"Western Washington is wetter. In our dry climate, there's less moisture and increased fire risk," Herman says. "As we look at climate change, it's just going to get dryer. We want to make sure we can keep our forests around."
In the 1950s, back when people wore fancy hats to the airport, PDX’s main terminal had brown terrazzo floors.
By the 1970s, blue carpet sporting the old Port of Portland logo replaced the terrazzo. The airport was so concerned about keeping the carpet clean that we banned gum-chewing indoors.
In the 1980s, PDX replaced the ski-chalet paneling in the Clocktower Plaza with high ceilings and skylights, but kept the blue carpet.
SRG Partnership, a Portland-based architecture firm, designed the pattern for the now-iconic carpet on the layout of the airport runways.
The Clocktower Plaza, post-1988, with the iconic carpet.
The Clocktower Plaza (before its demolition in 2021-22) with the new carpet.
The flexible interior spaces were designed with the future of travel in mind — and to give you plenty of comfortable spots to recharge before your next flight.
Two permanent installations from acclaimed contemporary artist Jacob Hashimoto hang like clouds above the concourse’s common areas.
Shops and restaurants are clustered together like city blocks, with a pedestrian-friendly scale and lots of room to spread out.
PDX’s swanky new bar, Juliett, honors women in aviation with mid-20th-century style, top-class cocktails, and local wines and beers.
Sky-high windows fill the interior with daylight while maximizing the concourse extension’s energy efficiency.
At the east end of the concourse, a wall of windows opens up this epic view of Mt. Hood, where you’ll definitely want to pose for a photo before takeoff.
The Concourse E extension project is the dedicated home for Southwest Airlines at PDX, with six new gates.
Remember the view of Mt. Hood on Concourse E? It’s coming back, brighter than ever.
Tillamook’s menu includes the best of the classics with fried cheese curds and a signature grilled cheese.
Calliope takes its name from one of Oregon’s native hummingbirds and showcases creative and playful keepsakes.
Grab your favorite book, magazine or newspaper at Your Northwest Travel Mart.
Concourse B's 38-foot-high ceilings and 6,900 square feet of windows don't just let light in. They let you watch the airport in action. "I think this airport gave us a chance to celebrate the romance of flight," says Gene Sandoval of ZGF, the architecture firm that designed the new concourse.
ZGF Architects was inspired to bring the Pacific Northwest’s natural world indoors. You can contemplate the plants hanging from the ceiling and the Oregon white-oak walls as you relax in B’s comfy new seats. (Bonus: More power adapters!)
RYAN! Feddersen’s art installation, which fills the concourse, is made up of three interconnected pieces. The “Sentinel” landscapes and abstract “Habitat Tiles” are pictured here.
RYAN! is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. She draws inspiration from the region’s traditions and landscape for these pieces, which include the gently rolling “Cloud Walk” overhead.
Nicole and David Mouton, in partnership with HMSHost, opened an outpost of Portland’s beloved Screen Door Restaurant on Concourse B. Find Screen Door’s legendary fried chicken and waffles here from breakfast until dinnertime.
Sam and Nick Purvis, the brothers behind Good Coffee, source fresh coffee beans and teas from all over the world. Pick up a pastry or a bag of beans, too!
Our new rental car center opened in November 2021.
All rental car brands are now on-site at PDX – no more shuttles to pick up your car.
Perez Westbrooks' colorful digital mural celebrates Northwest flora.
Ben Butler's swirling wood sculpture is made from reclaimed Douglas fir.
The new facility also adds 30 ADA parking spots, more than 30 electric vehicle charging stations, and 2,200 long-term parking spaces to the airport.
Adding more lanes to our new, relocated exit toll plaza helps you leave PDX more quickly.
Every design decision we make is about keeping the heart and soul of PDX intact. You’ll see homages to all the things you love about our city and region in the new airport designs.
You’ll notice subtle nods to the Pacific Northwest landscape throughout the space. Natural light, living trees, and native Oregon foliage may give you the feeling of walking through a park.
The new terminal’s wooden ceiling, made from sustainably grown, local Doug fir, might remind you of daylight filtering through forest canopies.
This will be your new view when entering the spacious ticket lobby at PDX. The nine-acre wood roof is so distinctive you’ll be able to spot it from the air.
The ripples and currents of pristine Northwest rivers inspired the new terminal’s curvy profile.
Expanding the heart of PDX creates more space for our beloved local shops and restaurants — not to mention local humans (and visitors, too).