Houston, Texas, USA
The Mickey Leland International Terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, designed by Fentress Architects in collaboration with Smith & Company stands as a testament to innovative design, cultural celebration, and enhanced passenger experience, solidifying Houston’s status as a global gateway.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Mickey Leland International Terminal Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is among the country’s five largest airports, handling 2.4 million passengers annually.
As the international gateway to south-central United States and a primary gateway to Latin America, its circa-1980s International Terminal D is already operating at peak capacity and needs to be expanded and modernized to accommodate anticipated growth.
This project has been awarded a 2024 American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies
Current building codes and operational standards require major systems and amenities to be updated; and finishes and furnishings need to be revitalized and refreshed.
The International Terminal Complex (ITC) project involves construction of the new International Terminal C and Concourse D West, and consolidation of multiple disparate expansion and renovation initiatives to resolve operational issues and maximize the use of existing assets.
Arching over these pragmantic objectives are the Airport’s vision: Establish Houston Airport as a five-star global air service gateway where the magic of flight is celebrated and the project goal to establish a continuous identity for the entire passenger experience (curb-to-gate-to-curb) through interior finishes and architecture that are inspired by Houston.
Building finishes, color paletes and motifs, the art and imagery associated with Houston, its music, lighting, and amenities – these are all inspiration for a thematic consistency to the ITC’s passenger experience.
Specifically, the design draws from and features IAD’s modernist architectural legacy, Houston’s rich cultural diversity, the paterns from the natural environment, and the region’s traditional building style that is borne of adaptation to south Texas hot and humid sub-tropical climate.
Orthogonal building geometries, light-filtering clerestories and screens, and a restrained material and color palete provide cohesion, a sense of place, and cues for intuitive wayfinding from curbside to airside boarding gate.
The front porch, ubiquitous and welcome local features of shelter and hospitality, is reinterpreted in the interstitial spaces: at curbside drop-off, major circulation, and retail nodes, and between the west-facing feature wall and the rest of Concourse D West.
The existing elliptical ceiling motif that marks important intersections is continued in the new design, tying new with old. At curbside, generous canopies with integrated clerestories provide shelter, while light wells bring sunlight to the lower-level arrivals activities.
Overhead, a network of copper-colored screens guide passengers through the departure and arrival processes. Just past curbside, a large double-story elliptical atrium, ringed with digital media, punctuates the Ticketing Hall and connects it with the Meeter and Greeter Central Plaza below.
The new Concourse D West is organized to support different activities and functions. International travelers arrive and depart on the mezzanine level along the east wall, open to morning light and views.
A central clerestory and light-filtering screen run the length of the concourse, defining the main circulation spine.
Throughout the day, sunlight streams through the screen’s customized circular perforations and angled tabs, in ever-changing paterns that recall the shitiing shade of a live oak’s spreading canopy.
Along the west wall, ziggurat-shaped fenestrations frame views to the outside, while also shielding direct sun from the informal retail and seating areas. Besides optimizing views and thermal performance, the punched openings also contribute to the lighting concept.
Linear LED light fixtures integrated into each window jamb are individually controllable to provide a range of lighting scenes and moods to augment the experience of time of day, season, or special events.
Designed to LEED Silver equivalence, the Concourse has a projected 129 EUI, 33% water use savings, and includes responsible material sourcing, and LEED-compliant indoor air quality management measures.
Project: George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Mickey Leland International Terminal
Architects: Fentress Architects
Associate Architects: Smith & Company
General Contractor: Austin-Gilbane
Client: Houston Airport System
Renderings: Courtesy of the Architects