Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is upgrading the entryways and exteriors of Terminals D and E along Departures Road to make them more attractive, energy efficient and safe.
The 5.98 million USD project includes the installation of new automatic sliding doors, a composite stone panel façade, a curtain wall system, new lighting, additional safety equipment and improved flooring.
TranSystems has designed the upgrade to incorporate a structural sealant-glazed curtain wall that uses strips of structural material to separate the inside and outside of the wall to create an insulating barrier. This design therefore significantly improves the wall’s thermal insulation.
Project Engineer Lynne Perry said;It has a much better R-value for insulation than the previous exterior wall – and it looks beautiful. R-value is a measure of how well a two-dimensional barrier, such as a layer of insulation, resists the conductive flow of heat. The thermal laminated safety glass is tinted green to protect against sunlight and to match the shade of the existing D/E expansion building.
In addition, the improvements include a significant safety upgrade with new fire alarms and fire protection sprinklers.
Passengers will also benefit from additional aesthetic enhancements, including metal, glass, fabric and stonework textures in the walls, ceilings and flooring as part of a continued airport-wide beautification and energy-saving initiative. As part of this initiative, new exterior LED lighting is also being added along Departures Road.
The design phase for this project ran from September 2017 to March 2019. Phase 1 of construction ran from September 2021 to April 2022, while phase 2 began in April 2022 and is expected to run to September 2022. The third and final phase is scheduled to start in September 2022 and will conclude in early 2023.
