Expansion and renovation of Concourse A-East Ground Load at Denver International Airport (DEN) concluded this week with the opening of the final phase of a $2.5 billion program to accommodate passenger growth at the third busiest U.S. airport.
The Concourse A-East Ground Load phase included a 29,000-square-foot terminal expansion, five new gates, six new hold rooms, a new maintenance facility and office spaces.
WSP, a leading engineering, environment and professional services firm, served as owner’s representative and oversaw the design, construction and activation of the multi-phase gate expansion project that added 39 new gates to airport operations. The firm’s work included decommissioning and removal of legacy gates to enable new construction across concourses A, B and C. It also involved procurement of task orders; management of design, construction, commissioning, activation and closeout of the projects; and coordination with all stakeholders and authorities having jurisdiction. Construction began in May 2018.
“The additional gates added to the airport will allow airlines to grow and provide more capacity for international airlines,” said Indhira Figuereo Blaney, WSP senior vice president and national aviation market leader. “Denver International Airport is a critical hub for travelers in the west, serving nearly 78 million passengers in 2023. This expansion makes a significant difference for passengers using this airport, either as a destination or for a connecting flight, and will help accommodate DEN’s goal of supporting more than 100 million passengers every year.”
In addition, the A-West Concourse Expansion, which opened in November 2022, was recently certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council. The expanded concourses use approximately 30 percent less energy than typical airport concourses. Greater energy efficiency was achieved by introducing natural light, resulting in less artificial lights and energy use, and better management of heating and cooling systems.
“It’s a very efficient design that helps reduce the airport’s carbon footprint,” Figuereo Blaney said. “For example, there’s a lot of glass that’s intended to let more daylight into the building, and artificial lighting levels are adaptable depending on the time of the day and how dark or bright it is outside.”
One of the early challenges was not knowing exactly which airlines would be occupying newly constructed gates, so a portion of the expansions were, initially, undefined program spaces. Specific branding, systems and office spaces were only made part of the program scope halfway through construction.
The team adapted and integrated all needed systems and specifics for each airline — plus additional needs for commuter airline gate functions — that were not originally part of the scope. The programming changes generated a large coordination effort to update permitted drawings, and review safety systems, passenger circulation, and future growth of concessions and tenant improvements.
“Our teams successfully integrated the end user’s needs and functions into the program during construction, while satisfying stakeholder and owner expectations to meet projected passenger travel demand,” added Jacob Hilton, WSP assistant vice president and project manager.
The full program at DEN also includes some distinctive features:
· Outdoor patios – including outdoor seating, fire pits, bar and pet relief areas – were added at Terminals A-West, B-West and C-East.
· Terminal C-East was built with a glass elevator to enable uninterrupted views of the patio and the outdoors from within the concourse circulation areas.
· De-ice fill station islands were provided at A-West and B-West to support truck de-ice operations.
· Atrium skylights were provided in B-East and C-East to provide added natural light.
· Roof photovoltaic equipment was added to the roof areas to reduce the overall expansion energy consumption.
Last year, Engineering News-Record-Mountain States recognized the Denver International Airport expansion among its Best Regional Projects of 2023 in the airport/transit category. ENR Mountain States covers Colorado, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Utah, Idaho and Montana.
