This site uses cookiesMore Information.

HOK 2021 Design Annual
https://www.hok.com/design-annual/2021-reframing-a-sustainable-future/
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Canopy and Modernization Program

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Canopy and Modernization Program

Atlanta, Georgia
  • Design for Integration Design for Equitable Communities Design for Ecosystems Design for Water Design for Economy Design for Energy Design for Well-Being Design for Resources Design for Change Design for Discovery
A thoughtful process that balances beauty and function. Looking beyond the current client to positively impact future occupants and the community. Benefitting both human and nonhuman inhabitants over time. Responsible use of this precious natural resource. Adding value to the owners, users, community and planet. Reducing energy use while enhancing performance, comfort and enjoyment. Supporting holistic health for occupants and the community. Using materials that minimize environmental impact while improving performance. Allowing for adaptability, resilience and reuse over time. Using lessons learned to advance the profession and produce better buildings.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) challenged the team to elevate the passenger experience by giving its domestic terminal the look and feel of a new building.

The design outfitted the terminal with two soaring structural steel canopies with translucent ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) fabric pillows. The canopies have become icons for the city. Visible from air and land, the twin structures each measure 864 feet by 200 feet and cover eight lanes of traffic at passenger drop-off and pick-up areas. The canopies provide a welcoming ‘front door’ that protects travelers, the roadway and the building facade from Atlanta’s ever-changing weather.

read caption +
The terminal continued operating with minimal disruption during the construction of both canopies.
read caption +
The canopies shelter travelers from precipitation while preserving views of the sky and allowing for cool breezes to pass through. The inflated ETFE pillows create a thermal barrier that has reduced the solar heat gain by at least 50 percent.
Pedestrian Connections

Four new pedestrian bridges above the roadways strengthen connections between the terminal and parking garages. It’s a much easier, safer pedestrian experience for travelers.

The canopies are designed with flexibility to accommodate future terminal expansion to the west and connect with any potential new roadways.

STREAMlined Solution

Airport leaders emphasized that construction of the massive dual canopies could not affect the busy airport’s operations.

HOK’s team developed a parametric modeling tool called STREAM that enabled the architects and engineers to quickly evaluate hundreds of design options for the canopy structure and form. Using STREAM shaved weeks off the design process and led the integrated architectural and engineering team to an innovative, ultra-efficient solution. 

read caption +
STREAM models shared with the team, including the client and contractor, enabled carefully orchestrated phasing.
Function Drives Form

With a diagrid shape that transfers lateral forces away from the existing passenger terminal complex, the canopy form was driven by function. 

Though the chord trusses appear to have gradually varying curvatures, they actually are made of distinct constant-curvature sections that are significantly less expensive to fabricate. 

Cladding the canopies with ETFE instead of traditional glazing cut their total weight by half. The team determined that the existing terminal structure could support the lightweight canopies with minimal strengthening efforts. This avoided the need for new columns, braces and foundations atop curbside circulation space and the facilities below—saving on materials and labor while significantly reducing embodied carbon.

HJIA-6-1270
read caption +
Sliding doors and metal-paneled mini-canopies were installed at each entrance.
Terminal Upgrades

In addition to the canopies, HOK designed upgrades to the existing terminal. 

The building’s precast concrete facade was re-skinned with metal panels, new storefront clerestories and glazing. This creates a new arrival experience by allowing more daylight to reach the interior of the terminal.

read caption +
The self-cleaning ETFE has non-stick properties that allow rainwater to wash away the dust and dirt that lands on it. 
read caption +
The north canopy lights up to welcome visitors to Atlanta for the Super Bowl.

“Hartsfield-Jackson’s canopies serve a number of purposes at the airport. They have given new life to our Domestic terminal entry points, they provide safe and secure passage for our visitors and they have become iconic additions to the city’s skyline.”

— Balram Bheodari, General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
read caption +
With more than 200,000 travelers passing through the airport every day, the team had to carefully coordinate budget, schedule and operational impacts of the construction.
read caption +
The north and south canopies each measure 864 feet by 200 feet and cover eight lanes of traffic.
Influencer Approved

With more than 3,400 light fixtures embedded into each canopy, the programmable LED lighting display has become a symbol of Atlanta and a civic storytelling device for the airport. 

At night, a mix of illuminated colors and patterns illuminate the twin structures, creating a dynamic canvas reflecting Atlanta’s personality as a bustling metropolis. 

Passengers frequently share creative aerial photos of the digital artwork on their social media channels.

Project Credits
Atlanta, New York and St. Louis studios
Expertise
Architecture, Engineering, Interiors, Lighting Design, Sustainable Design
Image Credits
Creative Sources Photography, Inc.
Use arrow keys to navigate the slideshow
Group 8 Group 8 Copy

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Canopy and Modernization Program

Atlanta, Georgia
  • Design for Integration Design for Equitable Communities Design for Ecosystems Design for Water Design for Economy Design for Energy Design for Well-Being Design for Resources Design for Change Design for Discovery
A thoughtful process that balances beauty and function. Looking beyond the current client to positively impact future occupants and the community. Benefitting both human and nonhuman inhabitants over time. Responsible use of this precious natural resource. Adding value to the owners, users, community and planet. Reducing energy use while enhancing performance, comfort and enjoyment. Supporting holistic health for occupants and the community. Using materials that minimize environmental impact while improving performance. Allowing for adaptability, resilience and reuse over time. Using lessons learned to advance the profession and produce better buildings.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) challenged the team to elevate the passenger experience by giving its domestic terminal the look and feel of a new building.

The design outfitted the terminal with two soaring structural steel canopies with translucent ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) fabric pillows. The canopies have become icons for the city. Visible from air and land, the twin structures each measure 864 feet by 200 feet and cover eight lanes of traffic at passenger drop-off and pick-up areas. The canopies provide a welcoming ‘front door’ that protects travelers, the roadway and the building facade from Atlanta’s ever-changing weather.

read caption +
The terminal continued operating with minimal disruption during the construction of both canopies.
read caption +
The canopies shelter travelers from precipitation while preserving views of the sky and allowing for cool breezes to pass through. The inflated ETFE pillows create a thermal barrier that has reduced the solar heat gain by at least 50 percent.
Pedestrian Connections

Four new pedestrian bridges above the roadways strengthen connections between the terminal and parking garages. It’s a much easier, safer pedestrian experience for travelers.

The canopies are designed with flexibility to accommodate future terminal expansion to the west and connect with any potential new roadways.

STREAMlined Solution

Airport leaders emphasized that construction of the massive dual canopies could not affect the busy airport’s operations.

HOK’s team developed a parametric modeling tool called STREAM that enabled the architects and engineers to quickly evaluate hundreds of design options for the canopy structure and form. Using STREAM shaved weeks off the design process and led the integrated architectural and engineering team to an innovative, ultra-efficient solution. 

read caption +
STREAM models shared with the team, including the client and contractor, enabled carefully orchestrated phasing.
Function Drives Form

With a diagrid shape that transfers lateral forces away from the existing passenger terminal complex, the canopy form was driven by function. 

Though the chord trusses appear to have gradually varying curvatures, they actually are made of distinct constant-curvature sections that are significantly less expensive to fabricate. 

Cladding the canopies with ETFE instead of traditional glazing cut their total weight by half. The team determined that the existing terminal structure could support the lightweight canopies with minimal strengthening efforts. This avoided the need for new columns, braces and foundations atop curbside circulation space and the facilities below—saving on materials and labor while significantly reducing embodied carbon.

HJIA-6-1270
read caption +
Sliding doors and metal-paneled mini-canopies were installed at each entrance.
Terminal Upgrades

In addition to the canopies, HOK designed upgrades to the existing terminal. 

The building’s precast concrete facade was re-skinned with metal panels, new storefront clerestories and glazing. This creates a new arrival experience by allowing more daylight to reach the interior of the terminal.

read caption +
The self-cleaning ETFE has non-stick properties that allow rainwater to wash away the dust and dirt that lands on it. 
read caption +
The north canopy lights up to welcome visitors to Atlanta for the Super Bowl.

“Hartsfield-Jackson’s canopies serve a number of purposes at the airport. They have given new life to our Domestic terminal entry points, they provide safe and secure passage for our visitors and they have become iconic additions to the city’s skyline.”

— Balram Bheodari, General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
read caption +
With more than 200,000 travelers passing through the airport every day, the team had to carefully coordinate budget, schedule and operational impacts of the construction.
read caption +
The north and south canopies each measure 864 feet by 200 feet and cover eight lanes of traffic.
Influencer Approved

With more than 3,400 light fixtures embedded into each canopy, the programmable LED lighting display has become a symbol of Atlanta and a civic storytelling device for the airport. 

At night, a mix of illuminated colors and patterns illuminate the twin structures, creating a dynamic canvas reflecting Atlanta’s personality as a bustling metropolis. 

Passengers frequently share creative aerial photos of the digital artwork on their social media channels.

Project Credits
Atlanta, New York and St. Louis studios
Expertise
Architecture, Engineering, Interiors, Lighting Design, Sustainable Design
Image Credits
Creative Sources Photography, Inc.
Your browser is out-of-date!

Update your browser to view this website correctly. Update my browser now

×