The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), one of the world’s busiest airports, is undergoing a facelift. As part of a multi-phase project, AECOM is working with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to create a sensational experience for the 61 million passengers who travel in and out of LAX annually. The project aspires to unify the disparate components of the airport’s central terminal area (CTA) and insert grand gestures that provide architectural hierarchy — yielding LAX as exciting as the city in which it resides. Through an artful integration of lighting, graphics, and architecture, the design draws from key existing airport elements such as the 1960s architecture of the Theme Building and the 60-foot polychromatic light pylons that define the airport’s entry.
The CTA will be articulated with an illuminated glass ribbon that defines the roadway edge and is modulated with white sculptural light poles every 60 feet — establishing an unprecedented ceremonial airport experience. This illuminated ribbon is synchronized with the entry pylons, and the light poles emulate the Theme Building’s optimistic architecture. In addition to the light ribbon are three-dimensional super-graphic terminal identifiers.
