LaGuardia Airport

LaGuardia Airport in New York City, which began operating as a public airport in 1939, embarked on a major redevelopment project in 2016.

It was vital that the transport hub in the Queens area of the city, which is mainly used for domestic flights, could remain operationally active throughout the work. Early engagement in the project was key to our teams at Gartner in Germany and Permasteelisa North America being able to successfully achieve this.

Brands: Gartner, Permasteelisa North America

Architects: WSP, Parsons Brinckerhoff and HOK JV

Contractor: Skanska and Walsh JV

Owner: Port Authority of New York & New Jersey/LaGuardia Gateway Partners

The project

The concept

Our work focused on LaGuardia Terminal B. This includes a central building (the four-storey Headhouse) that provides access to other parts of the hub, including the Central Hall and West Garage. The main entrance for passengers is located in the Headhouse, which is connected to the gates of Terminal B by two pedestrian bridges.

What did we do?

We designed, engineered, manufactured and installed 10 different types of façade, with a total area of 24,200 sqm. This included 5,845 glass façade units and metal panels, 17 entrance areas, and almost 5,000m of steel cables. The north façade of the Headhouse is mounted on a stick-system steel structure, while the southern façade and Central Hall are filigree cable walls, directing natural light into an 18m high check-in hall. A further 640 sqm of clerestories provide additional daylight. We also supplied the pedestrian bridges and a stick-system façade made of steel profiles to protect travellers from the weather when walking to the West Garage.