Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) broke ground February 27 on the new Midfield Satellite Concourse. The new 12-Gate Building will serve as an addition to Tom Bradley International Terminal.

The estimated $1.6 billion project, which officials say will reduce routine use of remote gates and improve the guest experience, will feature 12 boarding gates (two for the new-generation Airbus 380 super jumbo and Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental); 44,000 sq-ft of L.A.-centric dining and shopping options; 60,000 sq-ft of airline lounges; as well as other guest services and amenities, including two nursing rooms, a service-animal relief area, and children’s play areas integrated into the boarding gates.

The design is being led by New York, New York-based Corgan in association with Gensler. The associate architect is Irvince, CA-based gkkworks, and the builder is Turner/PCL Joint Venture.

The new facility will be connected to TBIT by two 1,000-ft-long tunnels, one with moving walkways for passengers, and the other for utilities. At the TBIT end of the tunnels will be a 50,000-sq-ft Gateway Addition. Construction also includes a Baggage Optimization Project (BOP) covering an 85,000-sq-ft North Baggage Handling System structure with an 11,000-sq-ft tunnel on the north side of the facility and a 45,000-sq-ft tunnel on the east side for baggage conveyances. 

The entire MSC-North Gates and BOP construction program encompasses a total of 1,052,000 sq-ft and is expected to become operational in late 2019.  MSC-South Gates is anticipated at a later date. The project will meet Los Angeles Green Building Code Tier 1 and is planned to achieve LEED silver.

The Corgan / Gensler design team says Midfield Satellite Concourse is "thematically" tied to both the master plan of the Central Terminal Area architecture and its immediate neighbor, the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

"The building carefully balances the strong 'mid-century jet age' modern simplicity with the dynamic oceanic theme of the International Terminal’s 'breaking wave' roof," the team writes in a recent fact sheet sent to me. "Together, the client and design build team created a structurally efficient building inspired by an ocean swell, a design that allows ample daylight, volume and ambience to embrace its vibrant interior community."