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architect: Louis Vidal + Architects
Completion Date: October 2023
Place: boston
Louis Vidal Architects has completed an expansion to Boston’s Logan International Airport’s International Concourse Terminal E. The project combines refurbished portions of the existing terminal into a new building, totaling 390,000 square feet. Terminal E is unique in that its space-age massing is reminiscent of Eero Saarinen’s TWA Flight Center and the prismatic “Boston” applied to its facade and roof. Red” paint coating.
The new terminal will be built in two phases: the first phase, which is already complete, will provide four new international gates to serve wide-body aircraft, expandable to six gates when accommodating narrower aircraft. A second phase of construction will add three more. The project was carried out in partnership with AECOM, which provided the much-needed capabilities needed to complete a project of this scale.
Significant improvements have been made internally, including the implementation of optimized security checkpoints, advanced baggage and ticketing systems and updated customs halls and gates. As with other airport expansion projects, the new terminal also provides new retail, snack and restaurant space, as well as upgraded facilities for an exclusive aviation club.
The terminal features a sensory room, designed in partnership with the New England Children’s Center. The facility caters for schizophrenic travelers who may have difficulty with the noise and chaotic pace of airports. This is the first facility of its kind built in Boston, however, sensory rooms have been popping up in renovated terminals across the country. The sensory room consists of a seating area and a full-size replica of an aircraft cabin, which will help passengers adapt to what may be an unfamiliar and challenging space.
The terminal’s facade and roof are painted with custom prismatic red paint by Luis Vidal, a Swiss laboratory of Monopol Colors. The color red was chosen to pay homage to the terminal’s location: According to Vidal, the color references Boston’s “historic brick buildings, where red is the signature color of those institutions—think Harvard and MIT— —Dramatic sunsets and foliage.” And, of course, the Boston Red Sox.
The façade composition of Terminal E is divided into two distinct parts. The sloping red volume is supported by a podium covered with less ornate metal panels.
The roof features insulated standing seam metal with membrane gaps along the gutters to control the accumulation of ice, snow and rainwater. The roof section contains the lounge where the departure and arrival gates are located, so it was necessary to include a large glass curtain wall that would provide views of the airport and allow natural light deep into the terminal. The city-facing rooftop section offers select sections of glass offering views of the downtown Boston skyline.
The terminal shell also acts as a sound barrier, reducing noise from arriving and departing aircraft within the terminal. This is achieved through the specification of sound insulation materials and the need for comprehensive sealing and insulation of the envelope. Vidal said the structure’s concave mass creates a physical barrier that reduces aircraft-related noise in the East Boston neighborhoods surrounding Logan International Airport.
Terminal E is expected to receive LEED Gold certification. A solar model of the structure was created using digital tools, allowing designers to control solar heat gain and glare. The terminal’s glazed areas are positioned to gain shade in the summer and benefit from solar heat gain in the winter. Photovoltaic glazing was installed on selected spans. Above these sections, shadow protrusions are minimized to encourage energy production.
Plans for the final construction phase provide for the installation of photovoltaic panels on the building’s west roofline, which receives the highest levels of sunlight.
Recyclable, low-carbon materials are specified to reduce the structure’s embodied carbon. The terminal recycled steel from demolished buildings for use in its structure, exterior cladding, roof panels, metal stud framing and HVAC systems. Repurposed fly ash is incorporated into the concrete used for the foundation and floor slabs.
Terminal E’s roof is specially designed to protect against snow, ice and rain, as well as to withstand the threat of strong winds and a 1-in-500-year storm. Wind tunnel testing was conducted on the façade panels, and Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed to simulate the effects of snow and precipitation accumulation.
Terry Rookard, Architect and Senior Vice President, AECOM one“Some unexpected consequences led to a unique solution for the envelope. Notably, a series of gutters were designed on top of the door pier roofs adjacent to the facade elements due to a combination of expected snow flow, prevailing winds and winter ice accumulation , to protect the building from water intrusion.”
In addition to its technical features, the appearance of Terminal E is also an attempt at landmark architecture.In an interview published in boston globeVidal said he believed “airports have become the cathedrals of the 21st century. They are some of the most iconic buildings. They are the front door to the city.” The prisms atop the terminals are visible from the air to arriving and departing passengers. red bubbles.
Vidal went on to describe Terminal E as a “fourth generation airport” that differs from its predecessors in that it caters to individual preferences. In the post-COVID world, airports must accommodate the demands of remote working as well as previously established airport plans, such as in-terminal shopping and dining. To support these facilities, airport terminals around the world continue to grow in size.
Project specifications
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