Sustainable Flight


Images courtesy of Leo A Daly


LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles International Airport is now home to the nation’s first LEED Silver for Existing Buildings certified airport terminal, according to reports. 

The $737 million Tom Bradley International Terminal Renovation Project was capped off with a ceremony commemorating its completion and achievement of LEED status.
 
The 38-month project was finished on time and under its $755-million budget.
 
Construction, which began in February 2007, included major interior renovations to airline check-in and passenger arrival lobbies, arrival halls and corridors, and restrooms, as well as installation of two aircraft gates, an in-line baggage screening system, and public art displays. Also installed or improved were utilities and energy-efficient lighting, climate control and ventilation systems, and new restrooms, elevators and escalators.
 
The largest single component of the project added 45,000 square feet of space to house a new $140 million in-line, checked-baggage security screening facility. Builders installed several van-sized, explosive detection systems in the airline check-in lobby following passage of a federal law requiring all checked luggage be screened using electronic measures by 2002.
 
Approximately $23 million was invested into making the terminal aesthetically pleasing rather than utilitarian in appearance. Large flat-screen monitors and entertainment displays in the baggage area provide information on tourism in Los Angeles. One percent of the terminal’s budget was dedicated to public art installations in keeping with the City of Los Angeles’ Public Percent for Art Program.
 
LAX and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs collaborated to create a permanent video art program comprised of 17 artists and artist teams commissioned to produce original video artworks that can be viewed at two venues with the arrivals lobby.    
 
Green features at the Tom Bradley terminal include efficient lighting fixtures with occupancy sensors throughout, more than 20 percent of interior finishes produced from recycled content, and low-flow plumbing in all restrooms. The new terminal achieves a 20 percent energy and 20 percent water conservation savings, according to reports. More than 75 percent of construction and demolition waste were recycled during construction.
 
The cost of construction work at the terminal was $567 million, while another $170 million was allocated for architectural and engineering design; purchase of new passenger loading bridges; and construction of the first boarding gate for new-generation aircrafts. 
 
Parsons Transportation Group in Pasadena, Calif., handled construction management on the project. Architectural firm Leo A Daly of Los Angeles designed the terminal and a joint venture of Clark Construction Group of Bethesda, Md., and McCarty Building Companies of St. Louis built it. Construction was performed while the terminal was fully operational.
 
The terminal has already earned two awards for construction: The Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International named the terminal “Project Controls – Project of the Year,” based upon the size and complexity of the project. Associated General Contractors presented developers and builders with the 2010 Constructor Award for “Meeting the Challenges of the Difficult Job – Builder Classification.”