The lattice wooden ceiling is the first thing most frequent PDX travelers stepping into the new terminal will notice, and the story of its origin speaks to the intentionality that went into building it. Sustainability in the context of an airport can be a tricky conversation—aviation is a growing driver of global carbon emissions. But the team working on the airport sought ways to reduce the overall embodied carbon in the structure.
“Wood itself is a more sustainable, lower carbon material than steel and concrete, which is one of the many reasons we selected wood,” says van der Meulen. “But then we went even further to source the wood in a way that’s better for both the forest and the people who manage them.” Working closely with sustainable forestry professionals, ZGF and the Port of Portland were able to achieve a unique feat: all the wood in the ceiling lattice layer—600,000 board feet in total—can be traced back to its forest of origin including partnerships with four Northwest tribes: Yakama Nation, Coquille Indian Tribe, Skokomish Indian Tribe, and Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians (the project was selected by Condé Nast Traveler for Bright Ideas in Travel 2023).
“Transparent sourcing had never been achieved at this scale before,” says PDX’s Granato, “and many initially said it couldn’t be done because of how the supply chain works—in most projects, wood is anonymous.” Using wood instead of a traditional steel roof structure achieved a 125% reduction in the carbon impacts of the roof’s construction, ZGF estimates; the materials were also sourced from Oregon landowners who practice more responsible forestry practices.
Locals will be excited to find the old-school carpet, which is back in select zones throughout the new terminal (PDX even published this old carpet map for the new terminal). But the team working on the flooring materials also considered accessibility as a top priority, so high-traffic areas will instead feature Oregon-sourced white oak and terrazzo, which is easier for wheelchairs, assistive devices, and roller bags to navigate. Other accessibility features include all-user restrooms and redesigned wayfinding signage. The old carpet pattern is confined to waiting areas where folks might, say, hang out and listen to one of the local musicians who volunteer to play at PDX.
The new terminal feels both uniquely Portland and a roadmap for what airports around the world could look like if they aimed to more directly reflect their region. “We wanted travelers to know exactly where they had landed, before even leaving the airport,” PDX’s Granato says. And from the aesthetic touches (more than 5,000 live plants filling the new spaces; 49 skylights letting in the partly sunny daylight) to the forestry story (signage throughout the airport will inform travelers of the forests of origin for the roof above them), it’s an airport that couldn’t be anywhere but Portland.
