Centerlines - April 2008 - (Page 47) G R A N D O P E N IN G Miami’s New Marvel B Y N ICOL E N E L S ON MI A MI IN T ER NAT IONA L A I R P O R T has met growth State-of-the-art South Terminal exemplifies South Florida flavor demand by building incremental terminal sections and additions over time, but the newly completed South Terminal marks the first contiguous terminal and concourse extension built at the airport in 50 years. “Not since the late 1950s have we built one entire construction program with a terminal and concourse at the same time,” said Max Fajardo, deputy director of operations and maintenance for MiamiDade Aviation Department, of the $658 million project that celebrated its grand opening on Nov. 30, 2007. Fajardo said a highlight of the project is the sheer size of the building, which handles 25 percent of Miami’s traffi c. The 1.7-millionsquare-foot, five-level expansion of MIA includes 1.5 million square feet of new space, a new Concourse J, and 200,000 square feet of renovated space in Concourse H complimented by a basic design that is “extremely interesting.” © STEVEN BROOKE STUDIOS | www.stevenbrooke.com “We are trying to show the openness and give people a feeling of what South Florida is while also attempting to improve on processing times by providing state-ofthe-art systems and facilities.” — Max Fajardo, deputy director of operations and maintenance for Miami-Dade Aviation Department “The Concourse J building has the shape of a wing, and the open spaces of the South Terminal are its strongest feature,” Fajardo said, noting ceilings that reach as high as 80 feet. Other defining features include an extensive art in public places element. Fajardo deems Foreverglades by Miami artist Barbara Neijna to be “breathtaking.” “The concourse is one gigantic display area,” Fajardo said, explaining that the artist took Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ book River of Grass and embedded it in bronze lettering into 65,000 square feet of inlayed terrazzo floor throughout Concourse J. “Literally, the whole book is written in the building.” “It is quite an impressive facility,” Fajardo said. “We are trying to show the openness and give people a feeling of what South Florida is while also attempting to improve on processing times by providing state-of-the-art systems and facilities.” From the freestanding checkin kiosks to the fl ight information display systems and directories scattered throughout the terminal, all of the airport’s information systems are cutting-edge. A new Fed- eral Inspection Service area has the capability to process 2,000 passengers per hour, and the terminal’s baggage system has the capacity to screen 4,000 bags per hour. And, a cruise and bus tour station featuring 22 dedicated airline ticket counters serves as a reliever for terminal traffic jams. With this feature, passengers arriving from the Port of Miami do not have to enter the terminal through the front door; instead, they can utilize a separate checkin area where they can divest themselves of baggage. This timesaving component allows passengers to spend more time at the 61 different concessions facilities in the area ranging from a wide variety of fast food and sit-down locations, as well as a retail promenade featuring top names such as Hugo Boss and Perry Ellis. Although the building officially opened on Aug. 29 with Delta’s first flight out of the facility, there was some stagnation on the project due to major obstacles falling under four main categories: security, changes in technology, changes requested by the airlines and changes requested by federal agencies other than TSA. www.aci-na.org | CENTERLINES 47 http://www.stevenbrooke.com http://www.aci-na.org
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