The new South Concourse at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport celebrates the region and invites passengers to experience the distinct beauty of the Arizona landscape. The expansion provides Southwest Airlines with a connector bridge, eight new gates, hold rooms, a baggage conveyer system, and retail concessions. Driving future growth and sustainability, the LEED Silver project supports the continued evolution of the airport and reinforces a connection to place through engagement with southwestern art, culture, and geology.
Materiality and design choices reflect the parti of the Grand Canyon and playa desert. The underground connector bridge offers passengers an immersive art experience with scenes on terrazzo floors and precast wall ovals inspired by aerial views of the Phoenix landscape. The Diamondhead entry is a gateway to the concourse, providing context and a sense of arrival with transparent volumes of full-height glazing, framing mountain views to the north and south. Overhead, a custom baffle ceiling inspired by the Imperial Sand Dunes is parametrically modeled to emulate the desert’s soft flowing curves. A second space with a boulder-shaped ceiling with rock knife carvings honors the area’s indigenous cultures. As passengers circulate toward hold rooms, large pops of color and glass walls with striations from the Antelope Canyon serve as wayfinding points to restrooms and gates.
The concourse focuses on sustainability and operations in tune with the natural rhythm of passengers. In the Diamondhead entry, material choices include green benches and a baffle ceiling made of recycled plastic water bottles. Electrochromic glazing with self-tinting lenses filters bright sunlight and reduces radiant heat gain for efficiency and comfort. Boarding gates constructed with resin sheets are replaceable and minimize the environmental impact. In the main hall, geometric clerestory monitors and angled windows track the rise and fall of the sun’s natural movement to orient passengers throughout the day. Connection bridges relieve overcrowding, while dual boarding at gates facilitates fast turnaround times. A 1.5-mile underground baggage conveyor system improves luggage capacity and transport. As a key anchor in the expansion of Southwest, the concourse is a driver of the area’s continued growth while creating a travel destination that explores the southwest.
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