On Tuesday, March 29, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti joined Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and Delta Air Lines in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the new Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Terminals 2 and 3 centralized headhouse, part of a joint $2.3 billion project that will completely update the current Delta-dedicated facilities.
The headhouse, which is scheduled to open to the public next month, is the first in a series of phased openings for Terminals 2 and 3 that will later include a new Terminal 3 concourse, and in 2023, a post-security connection to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The entire project was originally scheduled to complete in 2024, but the schedule was accelerated by 18 months as the project team was able to find construction efficiencies during the global pandemic.
The new headhouse, which in its end-state will include a consolidated 27-gate complex, will open to the public on April 20. Departing passengers will enter through the new facility that consolidates locations for ticketing and check-in, security screening and baggage claim. The four-level, 770,000 square foot building is the latest project to open as part of LAX's $15-billion modernization program. Part of the reasoning for the project is that Los Angeles will be hosting the Olympic Games in 2028.
At the new Terminal 2/3 headhouse, guests are greeted by a 250-foot LED dynamic display behind ticket counters. In partnership with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), qualifying customers on Delta can check bags completely hands-free through the use of their digital identity. An expanded security checkpoint that will offer 14 lanes will allow passengers to move more quickly and smoothly through the screening process.
The project will also complete the long-awaited connectivity post-securit0,y as passengers will be able to traverse the length of the airport from Terminal 1 to Terminal 8 without having to go through a secondary screening process. Two connections to the future Automated People Mover and Central Terminal Area parking garages provide flexible ground transportation options.
Good to know: The building was designed to help meet LAWA's sustainability goal to eliminate carbon emissions from its facilities. In addition, the terminal has a wide array of sustainability features, which include low-flow plumbing fixtures that will eventually use 100 percent non-potable water supplied by recycled water. Low energy-emitting materials were used in the design of the indoor spaces, which improve indoor air quality, and a "cool roof" was designed to reduce the heat-island effect and keep air conditioning use low. The project also includes recycled materials that were regionally sourced and recycled 75 percent of its construction waste. All of the building's systems, including structural, façade, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and lighting, were designed to meet CalGreen 2016 and is targeting a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
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