The first new airport terminal to be built in the U.S. in more than 25 years was unveiled in June when New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey cut the ribbon on LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B Arrivals and Departures Hall. The project is approximately 80% complete.
LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP), the private developer and operator of Terminal B, brought on Walsh Construction and the design-build joint venture of Skanska-Walsh, in partnership with HOK and WSP, for the design and construction of a new 850,000-square-foot Headhouse, a four-level main entrance for passengers that sits on the former West Parking Garage.
“The new Headhouse is the flagship component to LaGuardia’s new Terminal B, and Walsh Construction is proud to join our design and construction partners in unveiling the terminal’s new front door,” said Dan Walsh, co-chairman of Walsh Construction. “The Headhouse completion is a tremendous accomplishment for all stakeholders.”
Air Canada, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines will operate all of their ticket counters and baggage claims from the hall. The first floor is reserved for ground transportation arrivals, Floor 2 houses the arrivals hall and baggage claim, with passenger check-in located on the third level and concourse bridges, retail and restaurants on the fourth level. The design includes soaring ceilings and an abundance of natural light to create a comfortable and welcoming ambience for passengers. Through LGP’s partnership with the Public Art Fund, the Arrivals and Departures Hall also features a world-class art program. Artists Jeppe Hein, Sabine Hornig, Laura Owens and Sarah Sze developed work specifically for Terminal B.
The Headhouse design allows airport customers and employees a seamless integration with the new west parking garage, new concourses and the Central Hall, which is currently under construction and will connect to Terminal C. The building also contains Terminal B’s baggage handling system, totaling over seven miles, roughly two miles of walkways and 1,200 energy-reducing motors. The innovative baggage claim system runs throughout the airports walls and ceilings. The building connects directly to the new eastern concourse gates via a pedestrian bridge built over top of the original terminal, which allowed the original facility to remain operational throughout construction.
The final piece of the terminal, the western concourse, will open its first seven (of 17) gates later this year. The multiphase redevelopment of the airport, led by the Port Authority and the State of New York, began in 2016. The Skanska-Walsh team developed the project phasing using a series of 3D and 4D — or time-dependent — models that allowed the visualization of the future layout of the airport throughout the duration of the project. Project leaders could measure progress with 360-degree photography and laser scanning to keep pace with real-time construction updates, collaborate with subcontractors and quickly resolve construction challenges across the site.
Sustainability was also a factor. The Skanska-Walsh team developed systems to reduce waste, recycle materials and reduce the project’s environmental impact. The team was able to recycle 21,604 tons of concrete during the initial garage demolition. Over 10% of this recycled concrete was used on the adjacent job site. Overall, over 99% of debris from the old parking garage was recycled. The result was that in August 2019, the project was honored by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) with Envision Platinum Certification, ISI’s highest level of recognition for “assessing sustainability and resilience in infrastructure.” This project was the first to be recognized by ISI under its newest Envision v3 framework, which evaluates projects across 64 criteria to measure dedication to sustainable building methods.
