Denver International Airport Reaches Milestone on Gate Expansion Program: Completion of Curtain Walls, Exterior Structure

DENVER – May 27, 2021 – Denver International Airport (DEN) celebrated an important milestone on the Gate Expansion Program this month as construction teams completed the outer walls on Concourses A-West, B-East and C-East. With the completion of these “curtain wall” systems, all three expansion areas are now fully enclosed, as crews continue work on the interior build out.

The curtain wall system is a wall of windows of varying opacity, allowing more light into the expansion areas while decreasing energy costs and make the building more efficient.

Photos of the glass curtain wall panels being placed on the new structures can be found here. Video footage of the curtain wall installation is available here (note, this footage was taken earlier this spring, it is not of the final panel installation).

“We are so grateful to the hard-working teams who have safely continued progress on this exciting program through the challenges of the pandemic,” said Stu Williams Senior Vice President of Airport Expansion. “This program will accommodate current and future growth at DEN with additional gate capacity, new passenger amenities and opportunities for our airline partners to grow in Denver. We are looking forward to the completion of this project in 2022.”

The Gate Expansion Program is building 39 news gates, increasing airport gate capacity by 30% and enabling DEN to meet the demands and needs of airlines partners. Work on the new gates began in the summer of 2018, and late last year, DEN opened the first four gates on Concourse B-West, giving passengers a sneak peek into the brand-new amenities and experience that will be included in each new expansion area.

The remaining gates on Concourses A-West, B-East and C-East are on time and on budget, with plans to be operational in 2022. With the completion of the exterior curtain walls, the expansion areas look nearly complete from the outside. The construction teams will now focus on the details and build out of the interior space and preparing for future passengers.

Curtain wall facts at a glance:

• The new curtain walls enclose 3,419 total feet of expansion length, a distance that stretches further than 11 football fields.
• Varied glazing on the curtain walls not only makes them more visually appealing, but also aids in cooling costs for the building by filtering the degree of natural light shining down on waiting passengers, making the building more sustainable and energy efficient.
• The interior space within the expansion areas includes nearly 1.3 million square feet of new space – more than 18 times the size of Denver Union Station.

Two joint-venture construction teams will carry the Program across the finish line: Turner Construction and Flatiron Construction on Concourses A-West and the already completed B-West; Holder Construction and FCI Constructors Inc. on Concourses B-East and C-East. HNTB Corp. and Jacobs Engineering Group are also contracted for architectural and design services for the program while WSP serves as DEN’s Program Management Team (PMT).

Next time you are at DEN, check out the new expansion to B-West and take a look at what passengers can look forward to on every concourse in the future!

For more information about the project, visit www.flydenver.com/about/improvements/gate_expansion.

Denver International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. DEN is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $36 billion for the region annually. For more information visit www.FlyDenver.com, check us out on YouTube and Instagram, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for DEN’s monthly newsletter Nonstop News.

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