ORD New Global Terminal & Planning
Project Stats
- Location
Chicago, Illinois
- Size
2.2 million SF
- Partners
Studio Gang
SCB
STLarchitects
Milhouse Engineering and Construction
- Certifications
Targeting LEED Gold Equivalent
- Market
- Expertise
Architecture
Aviation Planning
Interior Design
Master Planning
Sustainability & Wellness
Studio ORD (a joint venture between Studio Gang, SCB, Corgan, STLarchitects, and Milhouse Engineering) was one of five global architectural teams asked to participate in a design competition for the replacement of Terminal 2 at O’Hare International Airport.
The design brief consisted of a 2.2 million-square-foot new global terminal facility re-unifying the international processing facility into the main campus.
This $7.1 billion program is designed to evoke a sense of welcome and excitement unique to the City of Chicago. The concept focuses on providing an integrated, consolidated international arrival processing and passenger connection facility in the heart of the overall O’Hare campus and respects and enhances the existing architectural character of the adjacent terminals, integrating seamlessly with retainable assets, including the iconic roof in Terminal 1 and the rotunda in Terminal 3.
As Studio ORD, our team developed a unifying design concept based on the historical municipal device — a "Y" — symbolically representing the legacy of the City of Chicago’s growth and development.
ORD Master Plan
A first step toward a global concourse.
The ORD Airport Authority initiated a master plan study to redevelop the Terminal Area after the completion of runways realignment construction. Two cross-wind runways could be closed, opening a large new area for redevelopment.
New gates had not been developed at ORD in the past 25 years due to runway capacity constraints. With the significant runway capacity increase and the land to the west becoming accessible, the opportunity for terminal expansion became possible. The satellites would be connected by an underground tunnel corridor, pedestrian walkways, future APM tunnels, a bag system, a tug drive, and Sterile International Arrivals from S1 to the Central Terminal.
This 18-month project included multiple phasing and planning scenarios based on flight schedules.
Key scopes included analyzing impacts to anchor tenants and hub airline operations while understanding the intricate need to take a delicate approach to phasing to limit impacts on airline and airport operations during the construction phasing process. We worked hand-in-hand with the airlines to obtain a buy-off on the phasing approach for the O'Hare 21 grand vision that would move ORD to a world gateway of the future.
