b'This rendering shows what the new 58 LGB | MSO | PIT | SFO FACILITIESck at Missoula Intl will look like. dealso features bars and multiple eateries, glass doors that open to the outside, movable furniture, a fireplace as well as live music from local musicians. The live performances stopped during the early phase of the pandemic, and then resumed in summer 2021. CYNTHIA GUIDRYAirport Director Cynthia Guidry reports that the outdoor garden area has consistently received praise from travelers ever since it opened in 2012. The area was developed for about $2 million PHOTO: A&E DESIGNduring Phase One of LGBs Terminal Area Improvement Program. Square footage limitations on our facilitieshelped spark the idea to incorporate more outdoor space, Guidry notes. But the feature also reflects LGBs history as a largely outdoor airport, with passengers boarding and deplaning on the tarmac instead of through enclosed jet bridges and outdoor baggage claim facilities. Guidry describes the garden area as a boutique, resort-like setting that is quintessentially Southern Californian. It fits perfectly into our brand for an easygoing, stress-free experience, she remarks. Social DistancingOutdoor spaces, even those planned or built before COVID-19, have become valuable assets in the current era of social distancing. Take the features at PIT and LGB, for example.Officials are certainly appreciating benefits not initially envisioned for the garden terraces at PIT. As Hoback explains, While the concept was not developed as a response to the pandemic, what better time to provide such an amenitywhen guests desire fresh air options and opportunities to distance themselves from areas typically more densely populated? A series of post-pandemic design workshops in summer 2020 affirmed PITs vision for the terminal modernization in 2017 for outdoor terraces, he adds. The relatively recent need for social distancing has also reinforced the popularity of the outdoor garden area at LGB. As Guidry puts it, Our travelers have voted with their feet. With the onset of the pandemic, we began to see a much stronger demand for use of the spacenot just as a place to pass through and take photos, but as one of the main holding areas for our gates. March | April 2022AirportImprovement.com'