The Challenge:
San Antonio International Airport recently completed a $15 million redesign of its 20-year-old terminal in order to update the “look” of the facility.
According to project architect, Herb Denny of Marmon Mok, one of the key facets of the interior remodeling project was the installation of new ceilings in the concourses and passenger holding areas.
The Solution:
To obtain the desired look and feel, the design team chose a METALWORKS VECTOR ceiling from Armstrong for the concourses. “We wanted the grid visual to be as thin as possible,” Denny explains.
Instead of installing the ceiling as one, long continuous plane, however, the team created a series of “floating clouds.” At each column, there is a gap that provides space for lighting fixtures and sprinkler heads, and helps break up the expansive length of the ceiling. There is also a gap between the ceiling and the walls.
Metal ceilings were also chosen for use in the passenger holding areas that line the concourses. In this case, custom curved METALWORKS RH200 panels were selected instead of flat METALWORKS Vector panels.
Denny explains there is a difference in height between the exterior wall and the soffit on the opposite wall. “We had to create a transition, and the use of curved ceilings that seem to float above the room provided us that opportunity,” he says.
To provide transition between the wall heights, the team used a concave ceiling profile at the lower end and a convex profile at the higher end. “The new ceiling appears very light and aerodynamic,” Denny states. “As a result, the visual effect of the curved ceiling is one of a feeling of flight.”
Project: San Antonio International Airport
Location: San Antonio, TX
Architect: Marmon Mok Architecture