Designed, planned, and engineered by SOM in collaboration with Clark | Weitz | Clarkson (CWC), the new Kansas City International Airport (KCI) terminal is a 1.1 million square foot travel hub replacing the original, outdated terminal building dating back to 1972. Led by a predominantly female consultant team, the project increases passenger capacity while reflecting the region’s rich culture and emphasizing the idea of the airport as a place that is both inclusive and accessible to all.
I-shaped in plan, the two-storey terminal building dedicates the upper level to departures, including check-in and security, and the lower level to arrivals.
Upon approach, people are welcomed by a dramatic roof overhang supported with expressive Y-shaped columns. Once inside, the main spaces are welcoming and light-filled, with warm material elements such as hemlock ceilings and marble terrazzo floors. In addition, locally designed mosaics, cut and preserved from the previous terminal building are located throughout the new concourses, fostering connection and memory to the original airport building.
Beyond security, two parallel concourses with retail at the center are linked by a pedestrian passage that overlooks the airfield. All post-security spaces are on the same level—a design move that results in an easier journey for passengers.
The terminal design was developed through a process of extensive community workshops and meetings led by SOM along with Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, CWC, and the city’s aviation department to engage residents from Kansas City and the region and to gain insight into how the terminal could be most comfortable and welcoming to all.
Inclusivity became the guiding principle for the design, with the city issuing a resolution calling for the terminal to be ‘the most accessible in the world’. In addition to implementing universal accessibility principles throughout, the Kansas City Air Travel Experience simulator allows passengers unfamiliar or uncomfortable with air travel to undertake a ‘test run’ in the days leading up to their trip. Additional concepts realized from the consultation process include a ‘quiet room’ to allow travelers a calming and relaxing space, all-gender restrooms, and a sensory room for children.
Finally, the project marks the first LEED v4 GOLD BD+C: NC terminal/concourse project in the U.S. Midwest. With a strategy to utilize renewable energy as much as possible, KCI is run entirely on electricity. In the future, a solar farm is slated to transition all airport operations to green energy.
