Planning the future of the West Coast’s busiest airport

More than runways and terminals, airports are vast, complex networks of transportation and logistics that support businesses and connect cities. Since 2013, SOM has worked with Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) to develop Vision and Design Guidelines for improving operational efficiency and the passenger experience at LAX, one of the busiest and most important international airports in the United States.

Since its establishment in 1928, LAX has expanded to 3,400 acres and today serves 75 million passengers per year. In order to resolve visual confusion and wayfinding uncertainty that has resulted from a series of additions over time, LAWA engaged SOM to create comprehensive design guidelines to unify the campus over the next decade.

The process of developing the LAX Vision and Design Guidelines began with a study of existing conditions and future building projects in the Central Terminal Area (CTA) extending east to the area’s main access artery, Interstate 405. This analysis included land use, key entrances and exits, pedestrian and bicycle connections, primary and vehicular streets, landscape, and sites with historic significance.

The study resulted in establishing a series of design strategies for LAX including: creating a more cohesive campus by developing complementary relationships between new and existing airport elements; optimizing views, lighting, safety, and reducing visual clutter; harmonizing with, but not mimicking, existing architectural icons such as the Theme Building; using simple, repetitive elements in the design scheme; and meeting all functional, operational, and maintenance criteria for the updated facilities.

The guidelines, now complete, are used by design professionals, developers, builders, contractors, and the community for ongoing and future improvements to the airport. The criteria are currently being applied to LAWA’s Land Access Modernization Program projects, as well as improvements in the CTA and its parking structures.

Making new connections

Over time, these major components and structures will create critical connections across the LAX campus as they are completed in multiple phases. The Land Access Modernization Program projects include a new people mover system and guideway, pedestrian bridges and passenger walkways, Intermodal Transportation Facilities, Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) Facility, terminal core and facade enclosure renovations, and roadway improvements.

The 2.25-mile elevated Automated People Mover (APM) will connect the airport to the LA Metro transportation network, expanding access while reducing congestion and vehicular emissions. Our integrated team of architects and structural engineers developed the infrastructure and guidelines for each of the guideways to improve mobility and protect sightlines.

The Central Terminal Area includes three APM stations that will connect visitors to terminals through a network of elevated pedestrian bridges. These integrated passageways will directly connect to Terminal Vertical Cores, new terminal entry portals designed to allow for vertical circulation of passengers via a series of elevators and escalators. Glass canopies and curtain wall systems unite these portals aesthetically, while aiding wayfinding and mitigating heat gain and glare. Cantilevered above the sidewalks of the upper level roadway, the new facades will give the airport a unified visual image. 

On the tail end of the APM system is the ConRAC, a 6.4-million-square-foot facility to support more than 18,000 rental car vehicles and replace all rental operations currently scattered across the LAX campus. A new Intermodal Transportation Facility will provide additional parking, concessions, and other passenger amenities.

The Vision and Design Guidelines continue SOM’s decades-long involvement in shaping the future of LAX—from the new Airport Police Facility, completed in 2021, to planning and design work for the Northside Development, a large parcel located north of the airport where LAWA will be developing commercial and open space in the coming years.