KCRag Forum

First tour of progress of the new terminal at
@KCIAirport
. Steel structures are almost complete for the arrival area and terminal buildings. Fun fact: the lower level of the new terminal will have space for meat smokers to allow authentic #KC BBQ to be prepared fresh on site!

https://twitter.com/BrianDavidPlatt/sta ... 66/photo/2

Cool! RIP scalloped roof

If you haven't already, take a drive up to KCI. The new terminal looks a lot bigger in person.

normalthings wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 12:44 pm If you haven't already, take a drive up to KCI. The new terminal looks a lot bigger in person.

When I flew in the other day we had to do taxi by it and I was blown away by the sheer size of the thing

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 7:48 am Cool! RIP scalloped roof

I've noticed some subtle changes in the renderings. Looks like they possibly had to make room in the budget for the glass jetways. If you take a look at the most recent renderings, you will notice less glass throughout the terminal concourses, they have also taken away some of the wood panel celings.

mykem wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:13 pm

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 7:48 am Cool! RIP scalloped roof

I've noticed some subtle changes in the renderings. Looks like they possibly had to make room in the budget for the glass jetways. If you take a look at the most recent renderings, you will notice less glass throughout the terminal concourses, they have also taken away some of the wood panel celings.

Trolling me!

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:29 pm

mykem wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 8:13 pm

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 7:48 am Cool! RIP scalloped roof

I've noticed some subtle changes in the renderings. Looks like they possibly had to make room in the budget for the glass jetways. If you take a look at the most recent renderings, you will notice less glass throughout the terminal concourses, they have also taken away some of the wood panel celings.

Trolling me!

Lol. Not so. I share some of your thoughts in regards to the new terminal at MCI. I believe this will be a beautiful airport terminal once complete, but it will definitely be missing the architectural wow factor. Function over form will get this airport high praises from your typical user, and JD Power. But, it will not be on any cover of any architectural literature.

Coming along nicely...

BuildKCI has released at timelapse for the whole year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRz0Tuc ... =emb_title

The viewshed of the premier structure would have been better served by making the garage more subterranean. It's like buying a Faberge Egg, and positioning the box it came in one inch away, permanently obscuring it from several angles.

herrfrank wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 8:51 pm The viewshed of the premier structure would have been better served by making the garage more subterranean. It's like buying a Faberge Egg, and positioning the box it came in one inch away, permanently obscuring it from several angles.

I’ve had the same thought since the very first renderings were released. It’s a missed opportunity for sure, and it will most definitely make the departures area feel like a claustrophobic canyon.

The terminal building is overall pretty average. The canyon could help weather-wise and you know how KC wants it's parking as close as possible or it's a failed project.

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:05 am The terminal building is overall pretty average. The canyon could help weather-wise and you know how KC wants it's parking as close as possible or it's a failed project.

I feel as though they could’ve appeased the parking crown while also putting the structure below grade more. The terminal, even with it looking average, is significantly more attractive than a parking structure IMO.

Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:11 am I feel as though they could’ve appeased the parking crown while also putting the structure below grade more.

I seriously doubt that was ever an option and it isn't because of the new terminal, but the current ones.

One key goal is of course maintaining operations of the current terminals.

Since it was extremely unlikely modernized services added since the terminal construction, like running fiber, was added underneath the terminals or the tarmac, they would have entered on the roadway side. And nearly the entire roadway side from old terminal to tower is the construction zone.

We can see in the time lapse videos that there was next to no real digging down when they removed the road.
https://twitter.com/BuildKCI/status/134 ... 20448?s=20

Since the new garage is built over the road it's likely they bored the new foundation piles to avoid disrupting existing utilities.

Paying for this work just wasn't part of the plan. My guess is they're abandoning most underground utilities to B and C in place with the terminal cutover. They can dig them up if they ever need to expand.

Anthony_Hugo98 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:11 am

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 8:05 am The terminal building is overall pretty average. The canyon could help weather-wise and you know how KC wants it's parking as close as possible or it's a failed project.

I feel as though they could’ve appeased the parking crown while also putting the structure below grade more. The terminal, even with it looking average, is significantly more attractive than a parking structure IMO.

Yeah day one on here we all hated how that garage dominated the approach. Let's hope they do something great on the face to make it not as horrible.

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:41 am
Yeah day one on here we all hated how that garage dominated the approach. Let's hope they do something great on the face to make it not as horrible.

Does the garage dominate the approach? All we've seen are renderings of the garage with it front and center.

People tend to ignore things which are less detailed, less architectural rich and focus on the more dynamic structure. People are always looking for new and shiny.

Look at the aerial profile coming in close, the terminal is as visually wide to the right as the garage is to the left. The road goes towards the short edge of the garage. The terminal entry is also as tall as the garage with more visual detail.

Remember when driving fast people look towards their destination. So drivers will be focused on looking right towards their destination for dropoffs and right towards the lower level for pickup. That's looking away from the garage.

I would give good odds that the terminal itself dominates the approach and people will look at the airplanes much more. The close arm will be lit up at night. It may be possible to get a glimpse of the people walking on the glass walkways.



There will be complaints about drivers not focusing on the garage side, watching for people crossing from the garage, when it opens

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:37 am

You're driving in this scene, look down the road towards where you're driving. That's to the right away from the garage.

The garage becomes unimportant detail in your peripheral vision. You're a safe driver, you don't have time to worry about how big the garage is.

You can barely see PDX's glass canopy over their garage. I hate it as well but at least it's still moving along. I'll take anything at this point.

KCPowercat wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 11:37 am

I believe that is an older rendering. I think these are the latest. The latest parking garage renderings don't look bad (in my opinion)