Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Hailed by the city’s mayor as “the most transformative project for New Orleans since the Superdome,” the 972,000-square foot facility houses 35 gates in addition to a 2,000-space parking garage, I-10 highway connection, and hotel development site. Walter P Moore’s combined structural engineering and enclosure engineering teams brought substantial value to this multifaceted project by combining our structural expertise with comprehensive façade design, optimization, modularization, and detailing.

Walter P Moore leveraged the fluidity of our digital workflow capabilities to solve complex challenges and accommodate design changes throughout the project. In 2015, a cost reducing effort downsized the terminal while maintaining its distinctive crescent shape, requiring significant changes to the entire building perimeter. Our team was able to redesign the terminal structure and façade in a matter of days, rather than the several weeks that a traditional delivery/change process would have required.

In late 2016, it was determined that the airport’s passenger growth would far exceed original projections. In response, an additional six-gate concourse was added to the project in lieu of the two international gates included in the original design. The design and construction teams were challenged to incorporate this change because construction of the domestic terminal and concourses was already well underway with 30% of the foundations in place and structural steel being fabricated. Once again, Walter P Moore utilized our digital workflow and seamlessly incorporated the new international concourse into the existing, partially built design.

The structural engineering and enclosure engineering teams were instrumental in helping the architects deliver a complex and dynamic airport project for the City of New Orleans. Our advanced digital workflows allowed us to fluidly incorporate and analyze significant architectural design changes while maintaining elegant, efficient structural solutions. Travelers can now experience a world-class aviation terminal made possible behind the scenes by an industry-leading delivery process.