b'36 CLT TERMINALSroadway system about 80 feet away from the face of the existingfeel like that was a good strategy. We want to maintain a good terminal in 2018 (and expanded roads in the process).customer experience. Christine points to this as just one example of strategicBoosting capacity at Checkpoint E allowed the project team sequencing that is allowing the airport to gain space before itto close down a different checkpoint and move forward with was lost.In a similar vein, construction of the west half of therenovations in that area, Rayfield adds. new lobby started in November 2019 and opened in July 2022.While not all screening lanes will be equipped with ASL That provided additional workspace so crews could renovate thetechnology at this time, infrastructure was put in place to help add existing building while construction began on the opposite side ofit and other technologies TSA might introduce later. This was one the new building.opportunity to provide adequate space for whats needed today Goebel likens the process to creating an empty chair in a gameand what we think we might need in the future, says Christine. of musical chairs. It allows the project to stay on track while preserving the passenger experience, he explains.Charlotte Hospitality, Intuitive DesignFinding ways to do just that was a major focus of pre- Airport officials and the design team invested time to determine construction planning. For instance, the team carefully analyzedwhat the new terminal aesthetic should evoke. We saw this as an passenger checkpoint capacity to facilitate maximum throughputopportunity for us to reset what we felt was the image of Charlotte, during and after construction. Existing checkpoints wereChristine explains. That research boiled down to Southern consolidated from five to three, and will ultimately include 21hospitality, but with a Charlotte style. lanes. Some feature automated screening lane (ASL) technology,Designers expressed that visually in many ways. The most which automates previously manual functions such as binevident is the Queens Courtyard, an open space in the middle distribution to help move travelers through the checkpoint moreof the lobby expansion with seating and concessions. Its focal quickly and efficiently. point is a statue of Queen Charlotte, the British monarch for Checkpoint E, which will be renamed Checkpoint 3 at the endwhom the city of Charlotte is named. The statue was previously of the project, has five ASLs. We did that in advance of Phase 4displayed between the airports original hourly parking decks, and because we needed that additional capacity, and ASL technologywas relocated between the daily decks in 2013 to make room for will help balance the load, Christine explains. We could haveconstruction of the new hourly parking deck. just tried to slog it out and maintain standard lanes, but we didntPrior to the current construction, airport workers transported the 3,000-pound, 15-foot-tall bronze statue to a business in nearby Seagrove for cleaning and restoration. Last summer, it was placed in the newly renovated lobby and covered in Electrification demandscloth for protection during construction. The statue will be unveiled when the east side new approaches of the terminal lobby expansion opens later this year. The Queens Courtyard provides a meet-and-greet space, an opportunity for concessions and really provides that sense of placethat youve arrived in Charlotte, Christine remarks.There were a lot of real deliberate decisions that focus on connectivity to place and passenger movement, Rayfield adds. For instance, the Blue Portals are not just blue. They are a mosaic of blue glass and gingham Burns Engineering offerspatterns in various shades of blue to evoke expertise to solve the technical,a southern feel. It has a modern aesthetic, financial and operationalwith crisp, clean lines to elevate the customer challenges that accompanyexperience, notes Christine. airport electrification projectsThe prominent Blue Portals are also designed to draw the eyes of passengers and assist intuitive wayfinding. Designers located elevator banks in the portals to make it easy Download our guide tofor customers to find their way with the airport electrification help of signage, but not driven by signage, Christine explains. Glass elevators provide January | February 2023AirportImprovement.com'