Future Airport Terminal Aims High
Boasts State-of-the-Art Features
Laden with Biltmore-style windows, a full-service tapas bar, and three glass boarding bridges — at $700,000 apiece — the new Santa Barbara Airport terminal may experience a hard time compelling its travelers to actually leave.
Opening its doors in April 2011, the two-story, 72,000-square-foot terminal will house two Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cafes, the Costa Terrazo Restaurant, and numerous works of art. The Spanish Colonial-style building, constructed by Emma Corporation with a budget of $54 million, is designed to meet the internationally recognized green building standards set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
Touring a group of media representatives through the metal structure on Wednesday, September 15, airport project manager Leif Reynolds addressed that the corporation has worked to preserve the charm of the original 1942 terminal.
“People say they don’t want it to lose its quaintness,” Reynolds said.
After the completion of the new terminal, the original terminal’s tower and core will be relocated to the new terminal’s southeast corner. The move is scheduled for completion in January 2012.
As airports are a representation of their community, said airport director Karen Ramsdell, the new terminal will host a public art program. Commissioned art includes a mosaic floor medallion, decorative wood beam stenciling, and lengths of ornamental wrought-iron kelp. Once opened, the terminal will also have an organized rotating art exhibit featuring regional artists.
