The citizens of the city of Kansas got a look at the detailed renderings of the proposed $1.3 billion Kansas City International (KCI) Airport. The SOM-led design team released the KCI Airport renderings after implementing the community’s feedback. The new airport design seems to be a more subtle version of the earlier curvy one, which was also proposed by SOM and Edgemoor.
Courtesy SOM
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Jordan Pierce, of Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP, presented to the City Council, the updated designs of the 1 million-square-foot terminals. With a “town hall” area provided with skylights, a performance space, a variety of shopping and dining options, baggage claim, restrooms, and curb area, the new KCI airport will be a welcome change from the current aging Kansas City Airport. Built-in 1972, the airport, with its horseshoe-shaped terminals, was deemed difficult to navigate.
Courtesy SOM
The Design of The Kansas City Airport ‘KCI Airport’:
SOM’s design proposes an H-shaped KCI airport, consolidating three terminals in a single building. The building has curbside access, that Missourians are used to. It also features a smoothed-out roof, unlike the previous design, which revealed a glassy building with sail-like fins and a rippling roof.
SOM had originally included an indoor fountain, as a nod to the “City of Fountains”, in the check-in area; however, to speed up arrivals, it has been removed. Instead, they added an outdoor water feature in front of the parking garage.
Courtesy SOM
“We want it to be a light, open, airy space, and to feel inviting,” Pierce said, “We also want it to feel like it’s a piece of Kansas City.”
They have changed the centralized cul-de-sac of performance spaces, and retail and dining options. It has been replaced by a rectangular “town square” space, featuring local businesses and a teardrop-shaped performance area. Also, a 4500 square-foot lounge has been added for frequent fliers.
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Courtesy SOM
They have doubled up the bathrooms from 63 to 130, and based on the community feedback, they designed wide bathrooms to be accessible by those who are traveling with baggage. Moreover, they increased the number of the gates of the Kansas City airport from 35 to 39. Pierce also added that the lounges would be about 35 percent larger than that in the current layout and that they would include in-seat charging for electronic devices.
“I’d like to see some uniqueness to it,” Councilman Dan Fowler said. “We want something that, when you step off the plane, you know you’re in Kansas City. You’re leaving the airport, you know you’re in Kansas City.”
The construction of the new terminal will commence in 2019 and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2022. The demolition of the old Terminal A has been put on hold until the Federal Aviation Administration conducts its environmental assessment.
