The Sacramento County Airport System determined the need to modernize and upgrade Sacramento International Airport in response to the growth and passenger demands of the Northern California region. The existing Terminal B, which opened in 1967, was outdated from a technology perspective and not appropriately sized to handle current and future passenger growth.
Corgan Associates Inc., in association with Fentress Architects, were selected to develop the new program. The new Central Terminal B, Airside Concourse and Automated People Mover were designed to meet the air travel needs of the region, accommodate the requirements of the airport, and reflect the Sacramento “sense of place.” “We had a truly collaborative relationship and designed the facility as a single team,” explained John Trupiano AIA, Vice President, Corgan Associates and Project Manager.
The entrance of Central Terminal B rises above the surroundings with a dual level roadway separating departing and arriving passengers. The multi-tiered roof line above reminds travelers of the mountains in the distance as the landscape setting reflects Sacramento’s location in the Central Valley. Inside the Terminal, three-story glass walls offer unobstructed views to downtown while reinforcing the visual connection to the valley. The building’s architecture intuitively draws passengers into the central circulation spine, where overhead, large clerestory windows, and a glass roof allow natural light to stream across large crossing structural members, creating a dynamic rhythm of light and shadow throughout the space reminiscent of the canopy effect of the tree lined streets of Sacramento. Passengers proceed through the Central Terminal to the Automated People Mover which conveys them to the Airside Concourse. The new facility will offer 19 contact gates, which is a net of 6 new gates for the airport and encompass 675,000 sq. ft. between the terminal and concourse.
“Exploration of the key aspects contributing to Sacramento’s Sense of Place led to five key descriptors: Outdoors, Rivers, Valley, Trees, and Capital. These were used by the Design Team to develop the possible images of the Terminal and serve as a gauge to evaluate the alternatives. Multiple concepts were developed to explore different aspects of the Sense of Place. The concept selected and under construction was inspired by the Central Valley between two mountain ranges and the canopy effect of the tree lined streets of Sacramento. The play of light and shadow within the facility as well as a strong connection to the outdoors are important aspects of the design. The result complements the Sacramento Valley’s sense of place,” Trupiano further explained.
“We are very excited about this transformation that will enable us to accommodate the growing number of passengers and their needs. In addition, we are happy to be providing jobs during these difficult economic times and proud that we are able to construct Central Terminal B while maintaining all airport operations at their current level,” explained Cheryl Marcell, Deputy Director, Marketing and Public Relations, Sacramento County Airport System.
Appearing on the cover of the January 11, 2011 issue of Engineering News-Record as one of the Images of the Year 2010, the Airside Concourse roof of Central Terminal B is clad in Contrarian Micro Textures’ InvariMatte® stainless steel. The roof was fabricated by BEMO USA. “Once the architects determined that stainless was the way to go, the collaboration between Corgan, Contrarian, Kodiak Roofing, Turner Construction and we led to the success and handsome appearance of the roofing system,” said Bob Strang, Regional Manager, BEMO USA. “We used 176,000 sq. ft. of InvariMatte®,” he added.