Los Angeles International Airport selects Woods Bagot to design new concourse

The MSC South will be an eight-gate, two-story, pre-engineered structure connected to the MSC North, which is currently under construction on the airfield west of the Tom Bradley International Terminal. In the past decade, passenger numbers within LAX jumped by more than half to 87.5 million in 2018. The MSC South project is part of Los Angeles World Airports’ (LAWA)—the authority that owns and operates LAX for the city of Los Angeles—multibillion-dollar modernization program that aims to provide more flexibility for travelers.

“The Woods Bagot team is committed to collaborating with the LAWA team towards a successful outcome. We will draw on our deep aviation expertise—which includes San Francisco International Airport’s newly opened Harvey Milk Terminal 1 and Perth International Airport—to design an efficient new concourse,” Carsten Voecker, Director, said.

According to a report LAWA officials prepared for the BOAC, the Woods Bagot team demonstrated a wealth of experience and creativity in their technical proposal. The team was judged to have the highest technical score and the best financial proposal among the firms responding to a Request for Proposals. It hits high marks for inclusivity, with more than 40 percent Local Business Enterprise (LBE) and more than 25 percent Small Business Enterprise (SBE).

Upgrades to make this possible will include the addition of an Automated People Mover train, a Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility, a connection to the regional Metro system and a new parking structure. Its sustainability standards are aiming for LEED Silver.

In addition, all terminals will be updated. The Midfield Satellite Concourse, North and South, will be added as an extension to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. All of these projects are scheduled for completion before Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“The MSC South project will economically deliver new domestic contact gates that provide our guests with a significantly improved experience and allow them to take advantage of our recent investments at Tom Bradley International Terminal and MSC North,” said Hans Thilenius, Deputy Executive Director for the Terminal Development Improvement Program, LAWA. “We intend to use pre-engineered structural systems, which will aid in building these gates expeditiously and without significant impact on our operations.”

The target construction schedule is from 2020 to 2022 with an operational date of early 2023.