In The Round: ABIA Airport in Texas Architect Magazine

How do you disrupt one of the busiest airports in the US in one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation to expand in the name of improved customer service? The answer is "very carefully". Page has now worked on Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) three times to achieve this and Texas Architect Magazine has featured their efforts in the January / February 2019 issue.

Reporter Sarah Gamble explains the Terminal East Infill Project, an addition that was completed in late 2015, has brought a sense of openness to the security area while addressing needed related infrastructural improvements including a new security checkpoint and customs area to address the exponential increase in air travel. Page, the architect of ABIA, was tapped by the City of Austin’s Aviation Department to also design this expansion. 

The 1999 terminal had been co-designed between Gensler and Page with the expectation of growth from multiple points. “The client was extremely happy with the original design, yet didn’t want more of the same with this expansion,” said Page design principal Larry Speck, FAIA. “They wanted a design that was distinct, yet compatible, and took a new direction.” 

Within the tight site, a former loading dock and parking lot, the design team set out to create vertical, expansive spaces with ample natural light. Page took liberties with the spatial geometries and integrated color within the existing material palette that were supported by Architectural Engineers Collaborative's award-winning steel structure made those open spaces possible. Additional team members included contractor Hensel Phelps and specialty contractor BNP Associates.  

Now, with its recently released 2040 Master Plan, ABIA continues to look to a future of growth. Serving over 16 million passengers in 2018, the continued emphasis on passenger experience, evident in this expansion, is a positive predictor of what is to come. On this effort, Page served as a member of the Landrum & Brown-led project team, consulting on the ABIA 2040 Master Plan intended to create an "airport of the future". 

To learn more about the ABIA Barbara Jordan Terminal project, click here. 

To learn more about the ABIA Terminal East Infill project, click here. 

To learn more about the ABIA 2040 Master Plan, click here. 

To see representative projects in Page's Civic portfolio, click here.