42 TERMINALS September 2026 AirportImprovement.com SEA this thing exactly like it was in the drawing’ or the Turner folks saying, ‘Okay, but I won’t do this until I have a change order in hand.’ There was just a lot of focus on, ‘We have to do it together or it’s not going to happen.’ And it turns out we needed every single bit of that partnership in order to get through to the end.” Looking back at the earliest renderings, Whealan is struck by how closely they resemble the finished building. “These core ideas were just so strong, they lasted through all the tests, all the challenges,” he reflects. Looking Forward Today, the project team finds the greatest satisfaction not in the architecture itself, but in watching people navigate the space. “The most rewarding thing,” Schreiber says, “is being able to see how people are using it.” Passengers gather beneath the Tree at C, stretch out on the Grand Stairs, sip coffee while watching planes taxi across the airfield, or simply find a quiet corner before boarding. “The best thing that I’ve seen,” Whealan shares, “is just how naturally the public just fell into this building.” For Ducharme, another highlight is seeing guests experience the building’s public art collection, which includes digital installations, glass sculptures and artwork embedded in the tables of the main seating area. “The integration of art is really unique,” he says. “The kind of energy that the art brings that really speaks to the Pacific Northwest is something you just can’t replicate. It feels like it’s an integral, intrinsic part of the space itself.” Reiter believes those aspects and experiences represent something much larger than a successful capital project. “This is the beginning of our future,” she says. As SEA continues to accommodate growing passenger volumes within its constrained footprint, the C Concourse Expansion offers a blueprint for what’s next—not simply creating more space, but creating better space. For an airport that couldn’t build outward, the recent project demonstrates that sometimes to move forward, you have to look up. For a Deeper Clean FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 800.258.9626 | TYMCO.COM ROUTINE CLEANING OF RAMP, RUNWAY, & ROADS Removes FOD that can hide in cracks & crevices • Chassis Mounted Magnet removes ferrous metals at sweeping speeds up to 25 miles per hour. • Lateral Air Flow Nozzle clears debris, such as sand, grass and snow from runways and taxiways. • Liquid Recovery System removes and recovers standing liquids, such as glycol. • Runway Sweeper, High Speed Performance. Photo courtesy of Meridian Regional Airport Model 600® HSP® Options REGENERATIVE AIR SWEEPERS Concourse amenities include a pet relief area.
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