Travelers' Haven
Ottawa works to create an airport terminal that reflects the vibrant city it calls home
By Lindsay M. Hitch, Assistant Editor
August 2001
The new terminal building will exemplify efficiency and visibility with streamlined check-in, an atrium extending from the baggage claim level to the third-floor departures area, and a parking garage with skywalks to the terminal.
AMBIENCE
Not often a term associated with airports,
creating the right ambience is an integral part of the new terminal project.
"People get into an airport, they say
it’s one of the most stressful things in terms of travel," says
Paul Benoit, president and CEO. "How do you take that anxiety level
that the passenger has and really reduce it? How do you make it so that
he’ll feel comfortable whether he’s a first-time flyer or a
20th-time flyer?"
Benoit adds that many airports address that
anxiety with increased signage. Ottawa has chosen to allow the terminal
building itself to direct traffic. By keeping the floors open and allowing
passengers to see the airplanes, security, gates, and baggage the moment
they walk in, airport officials anticipate little need for signage.
"One of the things that we’re
trying to achieve in the design is something that is very open, very bright,
very airy, and that basically you can see where you need to go; that we
can minimize the amount of signage necessary for way finding," says
Spinks.
Plans are being finalized for a waterfall
in the terminal. "Water is soothing, but it also represents a lot
of the history around here, that we are at the confluence of three rivers,"
says Benoit.
The waterfall will be one of a number of
efforts to tie the airport in to the surrounding community. With its climate,
waterways, and cultural mix, Ottawa is a city of constant activity. Benoit
hopes to make the airport a focal point of the city and make travelers
aware of area events.
Jumbotrons are planned for placement in
key areas in the terminal to show scenes from community festivals, parks,
and other events. A large advertising screen will likely cover the 30-
by 100-foot wall separating domestic and international baggage claim for
general advertising and community event spotlights.
The existing terminal features a local artists’
program that will be continued in the new facility. Area artists place
artwork and contact information on the terminal walls in two-month increments.
The program has been successful, with most artists requesting additional
slots; the terminal is booked through 2001.
RETAIL, OTTAWA-STYLE
Along the lines of community ties, Spinks
explains that the retail and concessions will reflect parts of Ottawa
as well. The By Ward Market in downtown Ottawa features blocks and blocks
of vendors, shops, and outdoor cafes. Spinks is hoping to recreate that
feel in a second-level "streetscape" of shops and restaurants
within the terminal.
Plans for that area’s concessions spaces
include shop extensions into what would ordinarily be viewed as public
space. Spinks adds that the airport will furnish plants and landscaping
to help pick up the By Ward Market feel.
Currently, concessions activity is 80 percent
post-security and 20 percent pre-security. The new building will offer
60 percent post-security and 40 percent pre-security.
Spinks explains the reasoning for the adjustment:
"In the U.S., well-wishers can go through security to the gate; in
Canada you can’t. You have to have a ticket to go beyond security.
So that sort of makes it a little more difficult for us.... You’ve
got to keep some of the concessions pre-security as well."
Concessions plans take into account convenience,
visibility, the type of customer and destination, and an incorporation
of the community.
A Work in Progress
The first phase, to be completed in 2004, consists of a new terminal
building connected to the existing facility. This project includes 16
gates, a 1700-stall parking garage, and a new roadway system.
Plans include two skywalks from the third
level of the parking garage to the second level of the terminal. Travelers
with baggage will check in on the third floor, while those with only carry-on
luggage will have the option of electronic check-in, heading straight
to security.
"So if you’re a business traveler,
you can park on level three of the parking garage, walk directly across,
grab your boarding pass at one of the automated kiosks, go directly through
security, and you bypass all of this [ticket counters]," explains
John Spinks, vice president of business development and marketing.
The second phase is scheduled for completion
in 2010, and will entail demolition of the older terminal and expansion
of the new terminal to the south as well as additional parking.
The third phase will add terminal space
to the north end by 2020.
Cost was a large factor in settling on a
design, explains president and CEO Paul Benoit. "A lot of consultation
took place with the community in terms of where we were going and we looked
at three or four options. And again, we get no government funding."
The project is expected to cost $300 million
(Canadian) and is being funded entirely through a $10/ticket Airport Improvement
Fee added to the ticket price and collected by the airlines.
