McCarran International Airport International Gates Expansion
Las Vegas           
Best Project

Owner/Developer: Clark County Dept. of Aviation
Lead Design Firm: Gensler
General Contractor: Martin Harris Construction
Civil Engineer: Atkins
Structural Engineer: DeSimone
MEP Engineer: Henderson Engineers
Subcontractors: Argus; CDC-Curtainwall Design & Consulting Inc.; ESG Construction Consultants; LAM Partners; Jensen Hughes

With the goal of increasing international tourism to Las Vegas, the expanded McCarran International Airport features new gates large enough for wide-body airplanes, including the Airbus A380.

The $51-million project includes self-boarding and gate flight information display systems, charging stations for electronic devices, glass divider walls and more seating-area hold room to accommodate passengers.

“Tourism is the lifeblood of the Las Vegas economy, and these new gates will greatly improve the airport’s ability to accommodate international visitors,” says Dan Knott, project director at Atkins.

Designers created a curved-metal tunnel connecting the midfield D gates facility to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection passenger arrival facility in Terminal 3, where the seven existing international gates are located.

With a nod to its historic surroundings, the addition features custom vinyl wall graphics that integrate historic Las Vegas photographs into 18-in.- by 48-in.-rectangular “tiles” in custom wall panels that are 4 ft wide and 12 ft tall. The 320 panels were installed in seven locations.

After noticing a trend in new-hire injuries, contractor Martin Harris Construction started a high-visibility hardhat program in January 2016. According to developers, all new hires were required to wear an orange hardhat and vest during their orientation and first 30 days of employment. The program’s implementation lowered the number of injured associates during their first 30 days on the job and contributed to the project earning an AGC Safe Site Award in December 2016.

The design team and subcontractors devised a way to utilize thin-profile channel glazing around continuous motorized shade rollers as a way to closely space the perimeter lighting system.

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