PHOENIX SKYHARBOR TERMINAL 3

Airports are ambassadors to their cities. The terminal renovation was challenged to transform the existing Brutalist architecture into an uplifting “Phoenix” experience. The design concept melds place and purpose by embracing daylight and views that are uniquely Phoenix within a design that alludes to flight by emphasizing lift, velocity, and lightness.
The passenger hall ceiling design filters natural and artificial light to create a canopy of brightness that signals upward in a place-defining gesture. The asymmetric skylight form was developed using a parametric model that balanced aesthetics, skywell efficiency, and daylight distribution within the strict limitations of a single structural slab. The curving profile maximizes daylight efficiency and sky-view through minimal penetrations while delivering a soft gradient of brightness reminiscent of natural sky patterns. This juxtaposes against the straight edges of recessed linear LEDs to emphasize the velocity of flight.