b'TERMINALSATL 47work will commence, including stitching the structure together,Passengers also expect a variety of nearby concessions, tying in utilities and installing passenger boarding bridges so thatintuitive wayfinding and adequate and appropriate signage, portion of the concourse can go live in September. Rucker noteshe adds. They want the journey to be as seamless as that it will be a rough finish, as the final build-out cannot occurpossible.until the boarding level of the existing Concourse D is demolished.Prior to recent construction, Concourse D had 40 gates, with The building modules weigh about 700 tons each and vary ina mix of Group II and III designs. When the project is complete, it size depending on where they will be located along the concourse.will have fewer gates34but the seat count will increase from Their content also varies. Some have restrooms, while others5,400 to 6,400 because all gates will be Group III. contain concession space or gate areas. Swaminathan describes the architecture of the building as They are tremendous structures in themselves, says Rucker.efficient, and the transition from the existing Concourse D to Each frame is outfitted with as much of the electrical, IT infrastructure,the modular units as seamless. There are some challenges with HVAC ductwork, exterior cladding and windows as possible.pairing the two buildings, but he notes that design adjustments The timeline is aggressive, as the Phase 1 modules areare being made to ensure the existing building will look as good as scheduled to be anchored and welded in place onto the existingthe new one. The newly expanded Concourse D is also designed Concourse D. Within 90 days after the last of the five modules isto be more energy efficient and code-compliant. set, the interior will need some finishing, but the addition is slatedEnabling projects included relocating the sanitary sewer and to be 100% complete from an exterior/gate standpoint. adding a new branch of main water and a telecom duct bank. Like the module moves, the 90-day sprint has a detailedWe had to essentially relocate those site utilities because they playbook, and WSP is responsible for leading and coordinatingwere under where the new addition would be, Pemantell explains. the team to achieve the shared goal of opening the new gates thisMoving the utilities farther away from the building opened a September.30-foot space and allowed the construction team to really start flowing into the main project. Additionally, some exits had to be Phase 2, which will extend Concourse D, is programmed torelocated and new stairs constructed to meet code requirements take about one year; phases 3 and 4 are scheduled to wrap upbefore the first eight gates were closed.in fall 2027. These phases will combine modular and traditional construction. Its quite a complicated process, Rucker remarks. Once all the modular pieces are moved and the newly expanded Concourse D is weather-tight, crews will demolish and reconstructPlanning and Design|Program & Construction Management most of the boarding and apron levels under the structure. Only the original apron-levelFacilities Management|IT|Asset Managementcolumns will remain. In some areas, temporary systems will be deployed as parts and piecesArora Engineers is proud to have provided of the new structure are added and the oldAirside Electrical, Security, and ICT Services systems are taken out of service.for the ATL Concourse D Widening project.Elevating the PassengerScan to learn more Experience Rucker and other ATL leaders see the Concourse D Expansion as a unique opportunity to elevate the passenger experience. To achieve that goal, Corgan and the design team used benchmarking studies of other airports to determine the size of facility needed to achieve the airports desired service level.Swaminathan says that first and foremost, passengers want comfortable holdrooms and seating. Additionally, they expect volume, natural light and free movement across terminals and concourses. What they dont want is to walk a lot. It has to be a veryImage Source: ATL Nextcomfortable place that you would prefer toaroraengineers.com|Rethinking Infrastructure spend time when waiting for the aircraft,he says.Atlanta | Baltimore | Boston | Dallas | Los Angeles | Miami | New York | Orlando Philadelphia | St. Petersburg | San Jose | Bangluru, India| Pune, IndiaAirportImprovement.comJuly | August 2024'