About Midfield Terminal
Vigilant Planning
The story of the new terminal begins in 1967. That’s when the Airport’s Master Plan identified the building site. A master plan looks into the future and tries to predict what will happen at the Airport — how many passengers will use the Airport five years from now? In 10 years? In 30 years? What kind of improvements will the airport need to make and when? It is, in essence, a planning document for future growth, project planning and project spending.
The Master Plan was updated in 1977. Of the update's many observations, one stands out today. It said that the maximum capacity of the current terminal was 880,000 total passengers a year. The update continued, "when that level of activity is attained, a new passenger terminal complex will be required.”
That number was reached and exceeded in 2005. Thanks to the Master Plan, the new terminal was already being designed and its finance plan was close to completion. New terminal construction began in 2006. Now, with completion looming, we’re nearing the end of a planning process that began 41 years ago.
The Need
The new terminal is needed for many reasons, but it boils down to one: economic development. An airport, and its ability to move people in and out, is fundamental to business recruitment and job attraction—communities that don’t have adequate airport facilities suffer economically. The current terminal is, to put it bluntly, inadequate.
While the current terminal's shortcomings aren’t immediately obvious to the flying public, they are numerous and they directly affect the airlines and airline customers:
- The current terminal has run out of room to park jetliners overnight. Operationally speaking, this is a huge issue. 14 jet liners park in Springfield for the night. In the morning they all want to leave as early as possible, but they can't because they have to take turns at the loading gates.
- The current terminal has run out of airline operating space. Airline office space is currently rationed due to the fact that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) uses much of it to screen baggage. As a result, the Airport cannot accommodate new airlines without displacing TSA. There is currently no space remaining to house airline ground handling equipment.
- Passengers and baggage now undergo security screening that no one anticipated before 9/11. It requires lots of space—for passenger screening and baggage screening. In the current terminal the main passenger screening station is jammed into the area between the lobby and the gate entrances. Baggage screening takes place in small rooms that were used by airlines. These space limitations make the whole process cumbersome and slow. The new terminal streamlines security by providing adequate space. The end result: customers should spend less time waiting in lines.
- As mentioned above, the capacity of the current terminal is 880,000 total passengers a year. That number was exceeded in 2005. Over time, passenger numbers at this airport grow an average of two to three percent a year. This nearly matches the Springfield metro area’s annual growth rate of 2.3 percent a year.
Why Not Expand the Current Terminal?
Why wasn’t the current terminal expanded? Because it’s landlocked—the runways are on the west. Two major industrial companies are on the east and it would cost millions to buy them out. A study concluded that building a new terminal at a different site would cost less than buying the current terminal out of its landlocked situation.
The New Terminal
The new terminal does more than just fix the old terminal’s problems:
- Everything is on one level. You’ll be able to park your car and walk to the airplane without going up or down a step. It’s part of a growing effort to make public facilities more accessible and easier to use. For example, the Missouri Department of Transportation is making pavement markings and signs easier to see by making them bigger. Why? The general population is getting older. Using the same thought process, terminal designers eliminated the need for passenger stairs, elevators and escalators.
- It's expandable. The terminal opens with 10 fully functional gates with room to expand to 60.
Architectural Theme
Even though it’s only partially finished, certain elements of the new terminal immediately strike the casual observer: huge porcelain tiles cover walls in hues: tan, gray, beige. Glass walls wrap around the building in shades of blue, green, aqua. Seen from a distance the intent of the tile and glass is clear: the terminal is one with the landscape. Martin Wander, AIA, is lead designer and vice president of aviation architecture for RS&H. He divides the building into three themes, or zones: water, geology, landscape. “The idea was to create a facility that uses the natural beauty of Southwest Missouri,” he says. “The three themes give richness and variety to the building.”
The Water Zones
Nearly all terminal visitors ooh and aah at the shimmering glass “curtain wall.” Its visual impact is immediate. “Some of the glass is embellished with irregular ripples etched on their surfaces, reducing some of the sun’s glare, and giving the impression of ripples on the surface of the water,” says Wander. The lobby ceiling is a series of irregular waves of stainless steel mesh. “When you’re inside, you’ll feel as if you are inside the river. The carpet in the water zones is blue, and looks like water as the sunlight is abstracted through the surface.”
The Geological Zones
The porcelain tiles wrap themselves around both interior and exterior walls. Wander says they’re directly inspired by the dramatic rock cuts through the landscape along Highway 65, south of Springfield. “The tiles are applied in irregular layers that reflect the eons of formation of the limestone that makes up the hills of the area. The carpet is the color of the earth, and is an abstracted pattern of river rocks.”
The Landscape Zones
The most striking features of the Landscape Zones are the abstract trees. The branches reach skyward to hold up flat steel canopies. The canopies have scattered skylights that let in patches of sunlight, recalling the light filtering through the treetops.
Environment Friendly
While the building is an ode to the Ozarks, it is also tips its hat to today’s energy and environmental concerns. “We designed the building with an energy efficient envelope, including excellent insulation, high performance glazing [the glass walls], and light roof colors to minimize heat absorption,” says Wander. “Our large vestibules minimize the loss of air conditioning and heat at the entries.”
The building’s high efficiency air conditioning uses ozone friendly water chillers. Heat is provided by clean burning natural gas. The air handling systems use economizers which allow 100 percent outdoor air as an alternative cooling source when outdoor temperatures are mild.
Outside the building drainage systems store and treat deicing fluid used on airplanes during the winter months. The fluid must be stored for ten days. After that, it’s harmless to the environment.
Wander sums up the building. “Early in the design process we were told very clearly that we should design a building that was not wasteful. The design brief was to create a functional and efficient building that could be easily expanded.” Those goals have been met, but we’ve received something else as well: a building that reflects the natural beauty of the place we all call home.