About the Project
The BWI Concourse A Five Gate Extension project added five gates to the Terminal A/B complex to keep up with Southwest Airlines’ needs. The project included building a 55,000-square-foot addition with two main levels: the Apron Level and the Departures Level, just like the current building.
The Apron Level added about 24,000 square feet of new space. This area will include support rooms such as mechanical, electrical, communication and storage rooms. It also has space for storing supplies for concessions located upstairs, as well as extra space that Southwest Airlines is expected to use. A small part of the existing Apron Level was also redesigned to make movement easier.
The Departures Level added about 31,000 SF of new space. This includes five new waiting areas (hold rooms) large enough for B737 MAX8 airplanes. There is also about 5,000 SF of new space for food, drink, and retail concessions, along with a new elevator and new men’s and women’s restrooms
Learn how Hensel Phelps delivers complex construction solutions across markets by visiting our Projects Page.
“The Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) chose to continue the relationship built with Hensel Phelps on two previous major projects at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). Hensel Phelps brought a world class team to this critical expansion and partnered with the existing BWI Airport Program Management Team to work through issues expeditiously and in the best interests of the project.”
— Paul Shank
Chief Engineer, Division of Planning and Engineering
Maryland Aviation Administration
Challenge
Complex and Innovative Bathroom Design
The new BWI Concourse A 5 Gate Extension includes several innovative design aspects including state-of-the art restrooms. These restrooms combine some of the best design aspects from restrooms from around the country and the world. Design aspects include independent restroom stalls with independent HVAC, niches for bag and wardrobe bags, full-height doors, intelligent restroom systems, such as lights that come on when the lock is engaged, tracking of time between cleanings and when cleaners are actively cleaning the bathrooms and high-end bathroom finishes. This design represents a new restroom standard that will be pushed throughout the rest of the airport.
Several design modifications were made a significant way into the project. This had the potential to cause delays in the project because the modifications and new finishes required an additional construction duration.
Solution
Collaborative Design Input and Mockups
Hensel Phelps participated in several design meetings to provide input to the design modifications. In addition, the team built three iterations of the bathrooms. These included the preliminary full major bathroom redesign, a second mockup of design elements for the stalls and a final mockup for countertop and center vanity selections. As Hensel Phelps was building the second iteration of these bathrooms, the team assisted the Maryland Aviation Administration (MAA) in making the correct decisions to fit the timeframe of the job and to offer alternatives.
Result
Implementation in Future Bathrooms
The information provided to the MAA following completion of the project will help them implement this in future bathrooms. These lessons learned during construction established a better design for the remainder of the airport’s bathrooms.
Project Awards
2021
- ABC National Excellence in Construction Awards | Pyramid Award | Category: Institutional, $25 to $100 million | 2021
- AGC of DC Washington Contractor Award | Merit Award | Category: Highway/Transit/Bridge – $31-50 Million | 2021
2020
- Maryland Quality Initiative (MdQI) MBE/WBE Award Construction Award | 2020
Related Projects
-
Aviation project
Nashville International Airport (BNA) – Concourse D Extension and Concourse A Reconstruction Learn More -
-
-
-
-
