How the New PIT Terminal Will Reduce Stress, Improve Travel Experience

Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal will deliver more open spaces, fewer logjams, calming (though sometimes thought-provoking) art and modern building features.

That’s because the new PIT, which will open in 2025 along with a new 5,000-space parking structure and roadway system, was intentionally designed to make it easier for travelers to make their way through the airport.

“The keys to designing the new terminal at PIT were open volumes and intuitive wayfinding for passengers,” said Paslay Group architect Rick Lee, implementation manager on the project and one of its lead designers.

As designers worked with Allegheny County Airport Authority leaders on the new terminal, they developed three principles to guide their work: Nature, Technology and Community, or NaTeCo, for short.

When a passenger walks into the new PIT, they will immediately notice the open area with clear sight lines – conducive of a stress-free experience, Lee said.

“It’s open, it’s airy, it’s intuitive,” Lee said, “because you can see everything you need to see. The branding behind the ticket counters—if I’m going to travel American or Southwest or Spirit, Delta, United—I can quickly look at the back wall, see the brand, and know where I’m going.”

Gone will be the days of checking bags on one level and looking for the shortest TSA line among two locations.

The new terminal will have three levels: a commercial curb on the first floor, an arrivals level on the second floor and a departures level on the third floor.

As passengers have time to look around the facility, they will notice some specific design choices that lend themselves to the NaTeCo theme.

The structural tree columns throughout the terminal and the leaf designs by artist Clayton Merrell in the flooring offer an ode to the foliage of western Pennsylvania, while the constellation lighting in the ceiling resembles the night sky.

Perhaps the best connection to nature, though, will be the ability to step onto one of four outdoor terraces of the new PIT—two before security and two beyond security.

“The new terminal will reintroduce people to Pittsburgh,” Lee said. “It will reintroduce Pittsburgh not only to the U.S. but to the world. It will rebrand Pittsburgh.”