b'12 PIT TERMINALSAn undulating wood-look ceiling from Armstrong helps guide passengers to the new 12-lane TSA checkpoint. friends, family and business associates atis nearly the same square footage ason public health and cleaner air brought the airport, we had to make sure we hadPittsburghs Market Square a popularthem back. In total, the new terminal an arrival experience, says Peduzzi. meeting, dining and entertainment areahas four outdoor terracestwo pre-of the city. Natural light, which Vidalsecurity, two post-securitythat provide Purely Pittsburgh considers his favorite building material,a calm, lush place for guests to relax and Vidal says the vibrant city has manyfills the terminal through expansiveconnect.attributes that captivated him andwindows that also offer scenic views ofThis building could not be anywhere influenced the terminal design. Elementsthe rolling hills and airfield. else, Vidal says. [It is] Pittsburgh-echo the regions rolling hills, night skyAbove, panelized metal planks fromspecific. When you design an airport, you and forests, while also emphasizingArmstrong World Industries cover thehave to think of the climate, location, the passenger comfort and freedom toundulating interior and curbside ceiling.peopleeverything it has to offer. create a unique and user-friendly airportDesigners specified a finish that looks experience. Functionally, the buildingHoback stresses that PIT is the first like wood to give the spaces a warm,and last impression visitors have of the is designed to improve the passengerwelcoming look. The planks inside journey. Separate levels for arriving andPittsburgh region. Were delivering the the terminal are specially designed tofront door it truly deserves, he says.departing passengers make it intuitiveprovide acoustic benefits and access and easy to reach the gate efficiently, withto the infrastructure behind it, notesThis airport reflects the new Pittsburgh plenty of time to experience the retail andDan Holdridge, senior project managerin so many ways, agrees Peduzzi.concessions if desired, explains Vidal.of ProjectWorks Design and SpecialtyActing primarily as processors of As visitors approach the new PIT,Solutions for Armstrong. At night, thepeople, airports of the past have a a pavilion in the middle of a forest iswood-look ceiling appears to vanish andreputation for not being user-friendly revealed as the floating roof comes intoblend with the night sky because morebuildings, but the new PIT is far from that, view, he describes. Inside, the nodsthan 4,000 lights are placed in the ceilingsays Vidal. Our theory when designing to nature continue, with columns thatto mimic the constellations in the region.an airport is completely the oppositewe are tree-like structures, inspired by theIn aviation, youre looking for everyput passengers first, he explains. That forests of Western Pennsylvania, with aopportunity where you can makemeans passenger freedom to control branching canopy design that supportspassengers feel more welcome, calmer,what they do in the terminalwhether the rolling roof, which mimics the areasHoback says. The visitor experience isthats work, dine, rolling hills.going to be like no other in the Unitedshop or simply get Visitors are completely immersed inStatesand maybe even the world.from door to gate the feeling and thought [of nature], saysextremely quickly.Originally, outdoor terraces had been Vidal.value-engineered out of the design. ButCarolyn Sponza, Locally sourced wood, stone and steelthe COVID-19 pandemic highlightedPittsburgh studio are used throughout the new terminal,the importance of outdoor spaces, bothlead and principal and the renovated airside center corepre- and post-security, and an emphasisat Gensler, says theCAROLYN SPONZANovember | December 2025AirportImprovement.com'