Lester B. Pearson International Airport
Toronto
Skidmore Owings & Merrill / Adamson Associates Architects /
Moshe Safdie and Associates

Light guides passengers through these airy halls

© Timothy Hursley

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In developing the new terminal at the Lester B. Pearson International Airport, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority sought a new centerpiece for the airport that would expand Pearson’s role as an international gateway and double its current capacity to 50 million passengers annually.

Encompassing 4 million square feet and 77 gates, the new terminal handles both domestic and international passengers—and includes a dedicated area for foreign passengers traveling directly to the United States. The main ticketing hall and baggage claim areas curve to match the contour of the adjacent airport roadway. Four concourses, which the architects liken to “piers,” extend onto the airfield and house airside facilities, passenger waiting areas, and retail facilities.

The architects, a joint venture among Skidmore Owings & Merrill, Adamson Associates, and Moshe Safdie, used natural light and views to symbolize flight and guide travelers through the complex. Linear skylights, aligned between the ticketing islands, help to orient departing passengers and provide rhythm around the curving ticketing hall. After ticketing, departing passengers cross over glass-floored bridges before passing through a series of concrete buttresses that anchor the hall’s wing-like roof panels.

Arriving passengers approach the main terminal through double-height concourses lit by clerestories and skylights. After passing through immigration, they arrive on a balcony overlooking the baggage claim carousels; this vista provides added orientation.

Formal name of Project:
Lester B. Pearson International Airport

Location:
Toronto

Gross square footage:
4.18 million sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$1.8 Billion

Owner:
Greater Toronto Airport Authority

Architects - Joint Venture:
Skidmore Owings & Merrill
14 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
212-298-9300 tel.
212-298-9461 fax
www.som.com

Adamson Associates Architects
55 Port Street East
Mississauga, Ontario L5G 4P3
Canada
905-891-8666 tel.
905-891-1403 fax
www.adamson-associates.com

Moshe Safdie and Associates
100 Properzi Way
Somerville, MA 02143-3740
617-629-2100 tel.
617-629-2406 fax
www.msafdie.com