The carpet isn’t the only unique feature at PDX

By Emma Peterson. 

An airport might not seem like a must-see attraction, but the Portland, Oregon airport’s (PDX) new architecture makes it more than just your standard layover.  

If the Portland, Oregon airport is known for anything, it might be their carpet. It has long been a classic for locals to take a photo with the carpet (usually a point-of-view photo of the sneakers) to post about their travels. If you’re not from the area, you might have heard tale of the carpet in 2013 when it made national news for being replaced. But the carpet changing from green to blue is not the only unique thing at PDX. 

As part of the five-year, $2-billion PDXNext remodeling project, a hand-crafted timber roof has been constructed for the new terminal. This roof, which will span nine acres and weight 18 million pounds, is made of “glulam” (glue-laminated) beams build from two million board feet of mass timber sourced almost entirely from forests in the Pacific Northwest. Vince Granato, the chief projects officer for the Port of Portland, told KGW, “We tried to create something that the region would be proud of. All of the material that's being used in here, all of the wood, it's sourced from within 300 miles of us here in Oregon and Washington. It's all sustainably harvested. It's something we expect the community to really be proud of, because at the end of the day, we are.” 

The roof features a lattice design, meant to emulate the gorgeous canopies of old-growth Pacific Northwest forests. These lattices are designed around large, circular skylights that bring natural light into the space and to the live trees that will be in the terminal. Furthering the natural aesthetic of the roof is the wave pattern it is designed in. Kama Simonds, a Port of Portland spokesperson, explained to OPB, “It’s an undulating roof. Think motion. Think waves. Gentle rolling hills, even.” This has been a huge, community project for the airport. It took more than 40 local partners to make it happen, which includes Tribal Nation representatives, small family forest mills, the architect ZGF, Sustainable Northwest, The Nature Conservancy and more! This entire project, including the amazing roof, is set to wrap up in 2025! 

Original photo sources (in order of appearance): KGW8, Portland Monthly and Oregon Public Broadcasting