New renderings have been revealed for the 2.6-million-square-foot New Terminal One at JFK International Airport in Jamaica, Queens, along with details on its public art program. Designed by AECOM Tishman and Gensler and developed by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the $9.5 billion structure is part of a $19 billion modernization and infrastructure overhaul for the 77-year-old facility, which is located along Jamaica Bay at the southern end of the Van Wyck Expressway.
The New Terminal One broke ground directly east of the existing Terminal 1 structure in September 2022 and is the largest component of JFK International Airport’s makeover. The facility is planned to open in phases, beginning next year with the terminal headhouse and the first 14 of the terminal’s 23 gates.
The above and below renderings preview the terminal’s broad Y-shaped footprint and sprawling central structure, which will feature a raised, hourglass-shaped skylight above the photovoltaic-paneled roof. An expansive glass canopy will cover the vehicular drop-off and pick-up lanes, and three short bridges will connect this plaza to the terminal structure.
New Terminal One at JFK International Airport. Rendering courtesy of Arup.
New Terminal One at JFK International Airport. Rendering courtesy of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The bright interiors will feature high ceilings supported by wishbone columns, as highlighted in the following renderings. Some of the digital art installations are visible on the walls in the below image.
New Terminal One at JFK International Airport. Rendering courtesy of Arup.
New Terminal One at JFK International Airport. Rendering courtesy of Arup.
New Terminal One at JFK International Airport. Rendering courtesy of Arup.
The public art program is being led by Arup in collaboration with several notable organizations and artists. The physical and digital displays will use a variety of media to showcase New York City as an iconic destination and JFK Airport as its world-class gateway.
The program will feature the works of seven artists, including Yinka Shonibare’s “Kites for Queens,” a collection of nine hand-painted Dutch wax batik kites; Kelly Akashi’s “Migrations of Flora,”an 18-foot-tall sculpture of native flowers emerging from a bronze hand; and Woody De Othello’s “The City That Never Sleeps,” which will place objects like watches, pay phones, and street lamps atop the terminal’s baggage carousels. A series of short films titled “Love Letters to New York” will also be displayed in each hold room.
In addition, Arup collaborator Pentagram is planning to design a work consisting of digital displays spanning the walls over the security queue called “Leaving New York.” The installation, depicted below, will also include an audio component.
Other art collaborators include Gentilhomme, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Culture Corps, Karlssonwilker, and We Should Do It All.
Pentagram’s digital signage over the security queue. Rendering courtesy of Arup.
The New Terminal One will incorporate numerous sustainability enhancements such as solar, hot water, and fluid recovery technology. The airport will also receive a fleet of electric-powered ground service vehicles, including baggage tractors and belt loaders.
The terminal is expected to fully open in 2030 and serve an annual capacity of 23 million passengers.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
I hope it’s highly functional, as the architecture seems a bit messy, for lack of a better descriptor.
Messy indeed. Why can’t American architects look to the simplicity and beauty of other large airport terminals such as Pudong for inspiration? The roof lines and support columns in the renderings just look bad. It reads like a future albatross.
What about this is disjointed? The design looks pretty uniform to me.
I understand that this terminal will mostly serve big planes going on long-haul international flights which require more space, but 23 gates seems like not a lot. I’d be curious to get a breakdown of how many gates each terminal had previously vs. how many gates there will be at the new terminals, given that there will be fewer terminals overall (if I am understanding the plans correctly). Are we actually increasing overall passenger capacity?
The existing Terminal 1 has 11 gates and the now-demolished Terminal 2 also had 11 gates. So this is a net gain of 1 gate, but with better operational efficiency with a much better passenger experience.
JFK is known as being slot constrained, so it isn’t limited so much by the number of gates, but by the number of flights that can take off and land safely. So improving the gate design to allow for accommodating larger planes will increase passenger capacity without increasing the number of takeoffs and landings.
The “New Terminal 1” replaces terminals 1-3. Not just 1 and 2.
have waited for long periods like 3hrs on the ground for a gate to open so jfk most definitely has gate issues as well.
GOOGLE IT
desertmodern, it is messy because it is designed by a bunch of construction managers.
Nothing to see here. Move along
Just get me there on time..
Kind of looks like Darth Vader’s headquarters. Where is the warmth? Vegetation? Very sterile. But, I guess anything is a huge improvement. Love the all of the art installations, but a missed opportunity to take it further…
I agree with the previous comments
This is an awful design and lokks like people with wandering aimlessly to find theor nedded destinations
Ah yes 19 Billion dollar airport in a floodplain
I had to replace my 9-year old TV this year. How long will this “digital” artwork survive? A nice mosaic would be better, but not something silly cartoonish as at LGA. Jefferson Station in Philadelphia is a good example. Those high roofs on the passenger pickup/drop off platforms will provide little protection if there is a any wind.
I recall reading of one airport that was designed simply to be a permanent roof. This allows the interior to be changed at will without major construction.
The design is so old, it still has the ubiquitous white ceilings from 20 years ago. Airports have moved on to wood ceilings.
But it is one big fancy shopping mall for sure.
I was born in ’48, the same year that Idlewild was officially opened. As an adult, I’d take Eastern Airlines, which was the original Terminal One. After Eastern went bankrupt, a new Terminal One was built about 30-35 yrs ago, which is the one operating today; it was “state of the art” when built. Now, a third Terminal One will be built. The only major difference is that the cost of construction has gone up.
Probably could make it a lot simpler for half teh cost.
Hopefully Mike Johnson and the Republicans have ended their government shutdown by the time this starts to open, and let air traffic controllers get paid for doing their jobs
Mike Johnson and Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a clean CR nearly a month ago. If you grew up in the US you may have watched a cartoon about how a Bill becomes a Law. Currently the “Budget Bill” is held up in the Senate, not the House, where again, over 50 republicans have voted 13 times to pass Johnson’s CR, and keep the government open. Unfortunately, NY Senator Chuck Schumer and his collogues voted 13 times to close government. You’re welcome
Mike Johnson hasn’t put the house in session since the shutdown began. Senate dems will not vote on this version of the bill, so the house must make a new version. If they really cared about getting this through no matter what, they’d get rid of the filibuster. But they won’t, because they don’t care.
Let’s not forget how that closeted gaslighting Grindr boy is also shamelessly prolonging the shutdown for the last five weeks so that he can’t swear in Adelita Grijalva, the last vote to release the Epstein files. All while he has the fucking audacity to tell her to “do her job.”
I barely see any art in there.
Some colored dots on the wall… That’s all?
There’s no renderings of all the art sculptures because they’re still being built
I hope they maintain it. I remember when Terminal One first opened. It was gorgeous. But after a few years you see the age of the building and little chips here and there and the whole atmosphere says “bleah”. Now they are replacing it with this new terminal. I hope this one lasts longer.