I am an aviation geek, and I love visiting airports. When I read about the newly renovated Portland International Airport, called PDX by the locals and by the industry, I had to check it out. Two weeks ago, during a business trip from San Francisco to Seattle, I opted for a one-stop flight so that I could spend 2.5 hours at PDX.
When I first landed I didn’t notice many new features. The iconic teal carpet that has shown up on numerous posts and postcards since the 1980s is still around. The concourses still have outdated fonts on the gate signage. The Alaska lounges remain as afterthought boxes that got tacked onto the circulation paths. I soon realized the concourses did not get a facelift. Then I entered the main hall, where all these old concourses converge, and boy, I was in for a treat!
The new hall is designed by ZGF, an architectural firm headquartered in Portland. The design team decided to create a building that celebrates everything Oregon. It’s a move that contrasts greatly with the recently minted LaGuardia, SFO Terminal 1, and the JFK terminals under construction. Those buildings are placelessly international in style, while everything in PDX tells a story about Portland, Oregon.
The airy ceiling is entirely made of wood, much of it locally sourced, mostly repurposed, and from Native American tribes. The huge skylights and the timber create a symphonic undulation that delights travelers. One can’t help but look up in awe all the time — and why not? You are heading for the skies. But when you look down, guess what? You see that teal PDX carpet everywhere. It’s a tongue-in-cheek nod to an ugly duckling that has become a swan because Portlanders are quirky to embrace it.
The building parti is simple and symmetrical, functionally and compositionally. Huge projection screens showcase the beauty of Oregon, from the haystack rocks by the ocean to the farm fields and vineyards, to the majestic forests. Art is incorporated into the building like in SFO Terminal 1. Still, I was particularly impressed by the glass installation by local artist Yoonhee Choi, which separates the “landside” and “airside” areas—celebrating the in-between nature of transit. There is also a small gallery on the mezzanine exhibiting her work.
Speaking of the mezzanine, there is a huge microbrewery named Local Legion, which features 96 local beers on tap with an amazing view of the runway on one side and the expansive terminal interiors on the other. There are also many other eateries throughout the airport, all newly sourced from Portlandia. I beelined to a family-owned wine bar named Capers Bistro to sample some of Oregon’s Willamette Valley wines. While not a gin drinker, I chatted with a lovely lady named Laurel at Freeland Spirits, a local women-owned distillery. She pointed out that all the new airport concessions are Portland businesses, and they are required to price their goods and services as if they were not at the airport. The staff are not employees or contract workers of the airport operator, and the restaurants are not franchised to the airport catering company.
So I went shopping! I visited Powell’s pop-up bookstore, which will move to a more permanent location when the rest of the construction is complete next year. I also stopped by the beloved Pendleton Woolen Mills, Stumptown, and a fun women-owned stationery store named PIPH. The shopping was excellent because there’s no sales tax in Oregon!
Walking back to catch my 25-minute flight to Seattle, I saw narratives about the airport design and construction posted on the construction barriers. Two statements stood out: “We can source wood sustainably from our communities and make something really beautiful,” said Malloree Weinheimer of Chickadee Forestry. Jessica Silverman of ChefStable added, “PDX is looking to really celebrate local businesses.” Last year, I blogged about SFO T1 and posted about the TWA Hotel at JFK — but I find this gem of an airport truly delightful, both architecturally and communally. Celebrating the local community while reaching out to the world, PDX hits the high notes. I overheard an Oregonian who was checking out the building saying, “We have grown up, and are proud.”