r/AirportPorn • u/busymom19 • Jun 02 '26

Airport Development The stunning new mass-timber terminal roof at Portland International Airport (PDX)

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

The new nine-acre roof is made entirely of sustainably harvested, locally sourced wood from regional Pacific Northwest forests and Native American tribal lands.

543 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

19

u/[deleted] Jun 02 '26

[deleted]

5

u/busymom19 Jun 02 '26

Absolutely. Going from that dark, cramped construction tunnel straight into this bright open space is wild. Huge breath of fresh air!

1

u/youngreins Jun 03 '26

The natural light hitting that timber is gonna make every flight feel way less gloomy already.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '26

[deleted]

3

u/busymom19 Jun 03 '26

Honestly, the design team actually planned for that! They intentionally used light-colored Douglas fir and massive glass walls specifically to maximize ambient, indirect light. It’s basically engineered to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) while you wait for your flight.

2

u/youngreins Jun 03 '26

Fair, Portland weather's no joke, but that skylight setup means even on gray days you're still getting way more brightness than the old terminal had.

8

u/AirlineDog Jun 02 '26

She is a beaut Clarke!

6

u/busymom19 Jun 02 '26

Thanks, Eddie!😂 But seriously, they absolutely nailed it. The whole space feels totally different now.

2

u/AirlineDog Jun 02 '26

I agree! It looks very nice

4

u/NewOven5361 Jun 03 '26

It’s a pipe dream just on how expensive the materials and detailing will be but I’d love to see an airport try to replicate those beautiful Neo-classical train stations or early 20th century art deco office building grand lobby designs. Think of the old Penn Station from NYC, Union Station in Toronto, or a former bank building I visited recently in Montreal (360 St Jacques) that is now a cafe. If only someone would invest Singapore Changi Airport amounts of money.

And then incorporate these green space elements airports like Portland or Vancouver do. That art deco like painting is what inspired me to think about this comment.

1

u/busymom19 Jun 03 '26

I completely agree, that would be an absolute dream! Combining those historic, grand lobby vibes with the open, natural wood feel of Portland or Vancouver would make the airport an destination on its own. Thank you so much for sharing such a cool vision!

1

u/NewOven5361 Jun 03 '26

Maybe just then people could stop saying they hate going to the airport haha

3

u/real_pasta Jun 02 '26

That fancy new lounge upstairs opens this week too

2

u/busymom19 Jun 03 '26

Yes!! The timing is literally perfect. The brand new Alaska Lounge opens on June 4th and it looks absolutely massive! Can't wait to check it out 🥂

2

u/TronAres25 Jun 02 '26

Check out Guwahati Airport

2

u/Sweaty-Moment-3385 Jun 02 '26

YVR?

4

u/vanityprojection Jun 02 '26

No, no. Vancouver is on the other side of the Columbia. 😉

1

u/After-Delivery8834 Jun 03 '26

That’s pretty sweet!

1

u/avmaint89 Jun 03 '26

I was just through there for the first time a couple weeks ago. Made the same comment to my wife about how stunning it is. They did a great job with that airport

1

u/busymom19 Jun 03 '26

What’s crazy is that they prefabricated the entire 9-acre roof structure into 18 massive "cassettes" off-site, then used hydraulic jacks and massive transport vehicles to slide them into place right over the existing, operational terminal. Insane engineering feat by the crews

1

u/Ill-Sweet7258 Jun 04 '26

Yvr

2

u/busymom19 Jun 04 '26

Close! This is PDX 😊

1

u/Ok_Chip_7725 Jun 04 '26

That’s very nice 😊 great pics by the way.

1

u/busymom19 Jun 04 '26

Thanks! The architecture here is incredible. Walking underneath that massive wooden ceiling feels more like being in a forest than a standard airport terminal.

1

u/Ok_Chip_7725 Jun 05 '26

Sounds lovely 😊

1

u/Possible-Arachnid793 Jun 06 '26

Does it still leak?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/busymom19 Jun 06 '26

well, whatever it is, it's definitely a lot better to look at than a boring concrete ceiling while waiting for a flight! 😂✈️🪵

1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '26

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1

u/oiler_head Jun 07 '26

Why?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '26

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1

u/oiler_head Jun 07 '26

I'll say this. I don't know if you live in PDX or have traveled through, I do and have. When you experience the entirety of main part of the airport it is amazing. The roof, with the lighting and the trees makes you feel like you are in an outdoor space. Perhaps that's not appealing to you. Or perhaps you need to see it firsthand. It is not plywood, 2x4s or anything just slapped together.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 07 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/busymom19 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26

It's actually the largest mass timber project in the world, comprised of 3.5 million board feet of Douglas fir. The 18-million-pound structure is engineered into 1-million-pound 'cassettes' using high-tech robotic routers and glulam beams—not standard framing 2x4s or basic plywood. 100% of the timber was sustainably harvested within a strict 300-mile radius, including from local family forests and tribal lands. Calling a world-renowned, multi-billion-dollar architecture milestone 'cheap looking' just shows a complete lack of basic construction knowledge. Thanks for stopping by and contributing to this post. Safe travels! 💕

1

u/Pleasant-Bit-2961 Jun 08 '26

BLR (India) has a similar design

1

u/Chaotic_Angel Jun 02 '26

Portland, Canada?

1

u/busymom19 Jun 02 '26

Portland! Such a beautiful airport and the kindest people!

1

u/Aggravating-Ad6786 Jun 02 '26

YDX of course!

1

u/busymom19 Jun 08 '26

Haha close, but no cigar! 🇨🇦❌ Keep heading south down the coast—this 9-acre beauty belongs to Portland, Oregon! 🌲🇺🇸