Balancing Environmental Protection and Economic Development

Owner:
Panama City – Bay County Airport and Industrial District
Submarket:
Location:
Panama City, Florida
Size:
144,148 square feet
Architect:
PBS&J
Services:
General Contracting
Date Completed:
May, 2010

Northwest Florida-Panama City International Airport Terminal was the first international commercial service airport to open in the United States in more than a decade.  Walbridge was selected as general contractor by the Panama City Airport District for the new 125,000 square foot seven gate terminal building.  The complex footprint also includes:

  • 148 feet tall air traffic control tower
  • 16,000 square foot public safety building
  • Air cargo and air maintenance facilities
  • Rental car area
  • 3,000 square foot utility building, and
  • Taxi cab queue shelter

For the air traffic control tower and the public safety building a thermal rated exterior coating was used on the masonry / concrete walls. This exterior finish provides energy efficiency while being much less expensive than stucco or panels. To speed the superstructure installation, as well as promote safer working conditions, the uppermost control tower steel structure was assembled at the ground elevation and lifted into place in a single tandem crane lift.

The air cargo facility is a pre-engineered building that includes five separate office areas, each having loading/unloading storage areas that accommodate the airlines’ truck deliveries. The air maintenance building consists of two pre-engineered buildings. These buildings have three offices with a locker room and bathrooms, and three maintenance bays with maintenance pits and hoist cranes. The buildings also have an open-air storage facility with rooftop parking. A fuel facility and tanks for the maintenance vehicles were also installed.

A combination of materials and finishes were used to evoke the regional character of northwest Florida.  Throughout the airport, there are various “coastal-looking” plants, including three 15-foot palms.  Charging stations were custom made to look like surfboards.  A blue, green, teal, aqua floor tile pattern was installed under the skylights to depict ocean waves while light beige terrazzo tile with sand-like flecks were used to recall miles of white sandy beaches.  Environmentally-friendly materials were used to create a 20-foot mural highlighting life in the northwest beaches area.

The new terminal is designed to be the first certified LEED® Silver Airport Terminal in the nation with leading-edge environmental features such as the stormwater management system, extensive use of sustainable materials and a landscaping plan which does not require supplemental irrigation.  Additionally, the following sustainable elements were incorporated in the project:

  • A/C systems were built to be extremely efficient
  • Tonnage:  2,000 TR
  • All construction material waste was segregated on the job site to minimize the waste going into landfills
  • An aluminum roof was chosen to reflect more of the sun’s heat
  • Local materials, including wood, were used to cut down the amount of fuel used for transporting goods from farther away
  • Environmentally friendly and progressive design leading to increased efficiency and reduced operational costs.