b'TERMINALSGRR 13took those thoughts and embedded them into the aesthetics ascreating a concourse that would meet the functional aspects of a well as the flow, Richardson says.growing airport, but in a manner that represents Grand Rapids and Its a testament to our commitment of providing that world- preserves the convenience and small airport feel that passengers class travel experience for our passengers and guests, heappreciate. The airport is very proud of their customer continues. Its all back to the guests and what they told us. Theysatisfaction, and wanted to make sure that whatever we designed want a modern airport experience with comfort, convenience,was going to continue, if not improve upon, that, Barrero states. flexibility, cleanliness, brightness, sustainabilityand all of thoseWe spent time understanding who they were, what was working, elements were incorporated. what wasnt working and what West Michigan meant to them.One of the goals that came out of the initialSpecifically, the design team worked to keep the space flexible stakeholder meeting was flexibility for theand remove as many barriers as possible. Keeping the functions future, adds Lauren Stark, project designerthat are all about getting people on planes was key, he explains. with HKS. In addition to accommodatingThe added width provides space for two primary circulation changes in technology and airlines, designerszones surrounding the central concession spine. Main Street worked to create a space that serves allaligns with the existing circulation path and connects with the travelers. Nearly doubling the width of theside street through intuitive wayfinding and 45-degree cuts existing concourse provides flexibility for theLAUREN STARK strategically placed to provide unimpeded views to gates. space to morph over time, she explains.There are lots of barriers for folks to flycost is a barrier, fear Keeping the airport easy and intuitive to navigate as it grows whileof flight is a barrier, Ries relates. Our focus is making sure that also offering some larger airport/community experiences is a focus.our airport infrastructure is not one of those barriers. We were able to do that in the existing space, says Richardson.Toward that goal, GRR goes beyond the Americans With Disabilities Act and applies Universal Design to ensure its facilities Enhancing Concourse A are usable by all to the greatest extent possible. For example, all GRR has two concourses that share a single security checkpoint,thresholds are minimized, and all gate counters include high and and limited opportunities to expand. Lengthening and wideninglow positions. Concourse A now includes a service animal relief area Concourse A, adding eight gates and refurbishing the existingand a large companion care restroom with an adult changing tablespace emerged as the best solution. Because of airfield geometry,elements that help make flying more accessible to more people.both concourses are now as large as they can ever be, Richardson notes.Expanding Concourse A allows the airport to use existing infrastructure, including the TSA checkpoint, taxiways and apron, making it a much more cost-effective option than introducing a third concourse at this time, Ries says. Concourse B is limited by a parking lot to the north and fire station and runway infrastructure to the east. That was actually fleshed out in the Master Plan before design efforts began, he notes. Previously just 66 feet wide, Concourse A and its holdrooms were designed for smaller (30- to 50-seat) aircraft. Now, at 120-feet wide, it is better equipped to handle the larger aircraft GRR is more likely to see.Richardson notes that the project team worked closely with airline partners to ensure that the layout and functionality of new gate space was carefully crafted for operational flow and efficiencyfor airlines and passengers alike. Jorge Barrero, design director at HKS, says the team was tasked with JORGE BARREROAirportImprovement.comSeptember 2024'