The airport is packed with travelers, as people maneuver their luggage around crowded seating. The 30-minute delayed flight from Atlanta turns the concourse into a track meet as people race to make their connecting flight. The intercoms ping overhead. Someone left their wallet at security. While chaos is sending travelers’ blood pressure up, you’re in the elevator, heading up to the second floor of the lounge to relax before your flight.
More people are traveling for leisure, with leisure travel spending set to
triple by 2040. With that comes demand for airport experiences that make you want to linger and recharge. We’re seeing similar trends in luxury airport lounges as we see in luxury retail experiences, but bringing those trends to life requires smart building systems design.
Creating luxury airport lounge experiences come with their own set of unique logistical challenges, as designing within airports requires stringent standards and security. Henderson designs building systems that support multi-purpose areas within
airports, pulling from our deep experience in
aviation projects and blending our
luxury and
specialty retail experience to bring together spaces that aren’t just part of a journey–they’re a destination.
Building system design challenges
As we approach the design of a lounge, we want to balance durability with aesthetics. Lounges service a lot of travelers throughout the day, so we need to think about how a heavy use space functions for optimal comfort and longevity. Lounges tend to live in areas with great views and need special access, requiring elevators and escalators, which bring their own set of
challenges.
Much like in retail environments, noise, lighting, and air temperature impact whether or not a space is a calm and comfortable environment that customers/travelers want to linger in. Those are all affected by the integration of outdoor spaces, which are prevalent in many airport lounges. How do we keep
HVAC running smoothly and a consistent temperature while people move indoors and outdoors? Travelers who linger also require secure and reliable WiFi and cellular connections to ensure an optimal remote work and entertainment experience.
Lounges are plugged into the airport infrastructure, so coordination of equipment loading is key. There needs to be adequate capacity and additions made if necessary. Where do you put the equipment to support the lounge? What type is it? What are the effects on sustainability and maintenance? Is there access to components such as outside air, sanitary sewer, and generator backup? These are all necessary questions to factor in.
Many lounges also have a connection for passengers to board the aircraft in a separate pathway. This creates a boarding experience with needed credentialing, and security controls coordinated with airport security operations.
Scheduling and sequencing to minimize disruptions
An airport doesn’t shut down because a new lounge is being built, renovated, or expanded. Airports are 24/7 facilities, so when adding or renovating a lounge, sequencing for connection to systems is integral to keep these projects on schedule and keep existing operations as minimally affected as possible.
Then there’s construction logistics. We need to prioritize security controls to keep the site secure and telecommunications to maintain connectivity. We need to handle equipment coming in and out of the site such as new air handlers, ductwork, lighting, etc. There’s a lot of dust and noise that comes with new construction, which can further disrupt passengers’ experiences, so planning early prevents additional maintenance and noise pollution.
Henderson Elevates airport Lounge Experiences
When a space is too noisy or the air temperature isn’t right, you notice. Our work goes unnoticed. We seamlessly integrate building systems into luxury airport lounge spaces that create destination-worthy experiences, all while coordinating engineering and construction for efficient, on-time delivery with minimal disruption.
