A groundbreaking ceremony held in late June marks the official start of work on the LAX Midfield Satellite Concourse South project, an expansion of the recently-opened West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal. — Urbanize Los Angeles
The Woods Bagot-designed $400 million MSC South project will add 150,000 square feet, spread across eight gates and two stories, to LAX. It forms part of Los Angeles World Airport’s (LAWA), the airport authority that owns and operates the airport, $14.5 billion capital investment improvement project, which includes terminal renovations, the construction of new ground transportation hubs, and an automated people mover system.
MSC South’s construction will utilize what the architects describe as a first-of-its-kind technique, where its building components will be built offsite and then delivered to the location for assembly.
The new concourse will have an L-shaped layout with an exterior brise soleil that will reduce glare and solar radiation while maximizing outdoor views. The design also draws inspiration from LA’s modernist homes. The project is grounded in sustainable practices as it aims for LEED Silver certification. Completion of MSC South is expected by 2025.
6 Comments
LAX has become like the biggest of old-school urban hospitals that started out as good, manageable places-- then grew by accretion over decades into massive agglomerations of structures and complex functions that now behave like small, disorganized cities.
Because every new addition is considered necessary and overdue, and much existing stuff is still needed, extensive and helpful demolition is a tough sell. Any critical master planning of the whole for coherent orientation, wayfinding, and circulation (nevermind architectural composition) seems to take a backseat at best, or follow way behind at worst.
Good, attractive buildings can't fix the larger systemic issues... but are certainly better than bad ones.
If you click on the Urbanize link there is another image with outdoor dining... yikes.
Would you like your $87 meat loaf with or without carbon monoxide sauce?
Certainly a multi-sensory experience.
Rightly said, Citizen. The new people-mover system with remote parking may add a layer of organization to LAX, but it feels very patchy, and like a band aid. Not sure what the answer is, without severely hampering regular operations...
Ha, yes! LAX is very much the USC/County equivalent in LAWA's portfolio.
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