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Vancouver needs a world-class airport—of that there is no doubt. The Vancouver International Airport (YVR) is Canada’s second largest airport, our gateway to the Asia-Pacific region and the destination that will be welcoming the world for the 2010 Olympics. So it’s no surprise that the Vancouver International Airport Authority keeps on upgrading and expanding the airport — growth that also reflects the rise in Vancouver and BC’s population.

That means, of course, that if you’ve been to the airport within the last decade, you’ve probably encountered a construction zone. Renovations have been going on so consistently, they now put the “airport improvement fee,” which they use to fund the renovations, right in the airplane ticket price (remember those days when we paid it at the gate before boarding?).
Over the last several years, the airport authority has embarked on upgrades and additions to both its international and domestic terminals. “The airport authority has been making its mark on this community and province—supporting the local economy by building a premier global gateway to bring travel, tourism and trade opportunities home to BC,” says Larry Berg, president and CEO of the airport authority.

While the international terminal often gets the most attention—as with its most recent plans for a glamorous aquarium that displays Pacific ocean life—YVR’s domestic terminal has been busily renovating and expanding for years now, too.

Truth is, more people travel through the domestic terminal than the international one. “Domestic passengers make up slightly more than half of the annual traffic through YVR,” says Berg. “The top [two] destinations to and from YVR are, in order, Toronto [and] Calgary.” Third is Los Angeles.

The renovations to the domestic terminal have been necessary to meet the growth in domestic air travel. Originally built in 1968, the domestic terminal has needed a complete seismic upgrade as well as improvements and updates to all types of aesthetic, service and baggage handling systems. It was in 2001 when the airport authority announced the upgrade to the building, designed to improve passenger flow and efficiency at the airport. The goal was to give the entire domestic terminal a look and feel consistent with the international terminal building, including new skylights, an exterior glass wall, an overhang canopy and improved finishes and flooring.

The architectural firm for the project was Kasian Kennedy, and SMACNA member Keith Panel Systems (KPS) has been called upon for its proprietary exterior metal wall systems, on three different occasions.
“We design all our own systems,” says Doug Dalzell, general manager of KPS. “The retrofit and addition to the domestic terminal has been going on for a while. We’ve done a few different projects already and are in the process of one now.”

KPS’s metal wall systems come in a variety of colours (the airport is using mostly white and some silver) and materials, such as alucobond, aluminum, zinc, stainless steel, swisspearl, terra cotta, rodeca and rockpanel.

In 2002, KPS manufactured and installed alucobond metal walls in the main phase of the domestic terminal’s upgrade.

In 2004, more multi-phased domestic terminal enhancements were in the works, and KPS was involved again, installing more of its panel systems in the [Departure/Arrival] Pier A phase, says Gary Wong, director of operations, KPS.

In 2005, the airport authority undertook a 10-year, $1.4-billion capital program that included the expansion of the international terminal, further upgrades to the domestic terminal, enhancements to passenger and baggage services, the airport section of the RAV rapid transit link, and upgrades to the transportation infrastructure.

KPS is now involved in the domestic terminal upgrades a third time. “Now we’re in the process of working on the backside of the terminal building,” says Wong.

While their involvement in the first phase took one year, the second took eight months, and Wong anticipates this third phase will take KPS only six to eight months. “We’re currently in the process of creating the shop drawings,” he says.

Dalzell describes one of the more innovative aspects of the current project. “There are some very large curved soffit panels that go from the interior through the glass out to the exterior of the building. They flow out—it’s meant to appear like the panel flies right through the glass. The designs that these people come up with are pretty fantastic,” he says. “And they love to use metals/aluminums in airports because airplanes are made of aluminum.”

Wong agrees. “Yes, the look of the panels are consistent with the high-tech look of airplanes.”

Dalzell says they work with architects right from the design stage to help them understand what they can do with KPS products. “The gist of it all is that we start by working with owners and architects and exposing them to what can be done in metal,” he says. “It has the ability to become any shape or form, as desired by the designer, for example it allows for curved shapes.”
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After KPS comes up with a set of job shop drawings, they discuss those back and forth with the architects. “Then we work out the systems in metal and we get them engineered and tested (structural and weather testing), to ensure we keep the water out and keep it structurally sound. And then we manufacture the metal in our fabrication shop and install it in the field.”

Two key benefits of KPS’s systems are their longevity and durability.

“The rainscreen products that we use are the answers to leaky walls. The reason people use these products are because they can deflect the weather, and deal with seismic conditions and winds,” says Dalzell. “Then on top of that, this stuff, with the proper paint on it, is zero maintenance.”

“Paint finishes are guaranteed for 20 years,” adds Wong. “They are easily maintained in terms of washing. And in the long-term, you don’t have to replace them.”

And while the products can be more expensive than some of the alternatives like stucco, the design, flexibility and low maintenance needs certainly make up for it.

Once this latest upgrade to the domestic terminal is complete, the airport authority will still be nowhere done its overall renovation plans for YVR. This past spring, the YVR released a new 20-year master plan for continued growth and expansion until 2027.

“It’s growing so much and they are projecting more growth, so they keep adding and adding,” says Dalzell. “I don’t think it will end for a long time.”

Photos above: Vancouver International Airport (YVR) Domestic Terminal, courtesy of Keith Panel Systems.

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