By james art
Ticket Hall at Reno-Tahoe International Airport
Reno, Nev.
Award of Merit
Posted by: McCarthy Building Cos.
owner: Reno Tahoe Airport Authority
Leading design firm/structure: RS&H Inc.
Main contractor: McCarthy Building Cos.
Construction Engineer: Wood Rodgers Inc.
MEP Engineer: Ainsworth Associates Mechanical Engineers; PK Electric Inc.
To address congestion and passenger flow issues, a 35,000-square-foot renovation and 10,000-square-foot addition transformed the airport’s ticket hall into the new gateway and gateway to the Reno-Tahoe region. With the completion of this US$26.5 million project in April 2024, the ticket queuing area has been doubled, new interior and exterior features reduce passenger confusion and the area has some much-needed toilets.
In order to receive federal roofing funding, the team worked within an accelerated design and pre-construction schedule. Issuing three separate GMPs helped with the compressed timeline, developing structural and value engineering solutions that met the design intent. Since relocating the ticket counters was not possible and the airport had to remain open throughout the project, the team proposed to work within a small footprint. The contractor and architect developed a model to illustrate passenger traffic patterns and impacts using a slightly narrowed pedestrian walkway.
The renovation part of the project requires the most planning with airline and airport operations. More than 35,000 square feet of tile was removed and repaired in 600-square-foot sections, all done during limited-hour night shifts after coordinating with each airline’s daily flight schedules and ticket counters. To reopen construction areas by 3:00 a.m., workers used alternative quick-set curing products and maintained flexible work areas to accommodate delayed flights.