Hensel Phelps began work on the construction manager-at-risk project in 2024, topping out the concourse structure last fall. Completion is slated for 2027.

“We’re building onto a lot of what we implemented then,” says Jonathan Massey, managing principal with Corgan. Noting that the original concourse achieved a Skytrax 5-star rating, he adds: “This project carries forward the same principles of flow and architecture that provide intuitive wayfinding. We use light and volume and edges to direct people, rather than just signage.”

The design includes “a large space at the end of the concourse that has an angle, an acute triangle,” notes Massey. “It will act like a big arrow directing people.” Travelers who don’t need to pick up their bags can keep going straight out of the concourse; those who do will turn left, he says.

Manning, who also led the original concourse for Southwest, calls it “the most difficult I’ve done.” The new project has three major components: installing the 30-ft-high, 40-ft-wide, 150-ft-long canopy; building an outdoor plaza; refurbishing the baggage claim area; and installing the Leonardo baggage handling system.

Instead of the typical conveyor belt system, “this is a cross-belt sortation system,” says Massey. “There is a series of little vehicles running on a rail. Each vehicle carries one bag. When it gets to the right location, it shoots the bag down a chute to be collected.” The system requires less maintenance and labor and can handle various types of baggage more smoothly, according to the company’s website.

“We shut down one gate and built a building to handle all the screening for the new system,” says Manning. Crews will also build another temporary building to house system units. “We’re putting in a second mainline system and another one for oversized bags, then we can go in and rip out the old baggage handling system,” he says.

The new canopy will replace one that was blown away by a hurricane years ago. “For years, the big columns just stood there,” says Massey. With Hobby’s proximity to the Johnson Space Center, “we used computational design to place a starry sky” motif on the new canopy, he adds. “In terms of sense of place, it’s about Houston.”

High-Tech Tools

The team is using the robot dog Spot from Boston Dynamics to survey the site, 3D printing for floor elements and a platform by technology vendor Cupix that creates 3D models from photos and video. 

“I [told Cupix] it would be nice if we had the ability on one screen to see three panels to look at photos, building information modeling and floor plans to check progress,” says Manning. The vendor began developing that ability a year before construction began, he says. “You can go walk around on the floor plan, and it swings the photos and model around. For example, you can now see whether the ductwork is in or not.”

Manning, Minnick and Ben Kleiner of Corgan (left to right) inspect the jobsite with robot dog Spot.  Photo courtesy Hensel Phelps

Gary Perrin, Hensel Phelps operations manager, says use of the technology tools is a continual learning and improvement process. “We are trying to learn what else we can do on this project. How much information can we put into the system?" he says. "Can we see where all the switches are? On overhead inserts, can we determine where something should be hung?” 

The team also learned to find places for the robot dog to recharge, he notes. 

“Spot conducts weekly progress walks autonomously through the integration with FieldAI,” wrote Andrew Minnick, Hensel Phelps project manager, in an emailed response.  “This combination allows the robot to navigate through and around the dynamic construction site without entering hazardous areas while capturing the latest progress. The purpose of the solution is to capture consistent imagery and automatically upload it to a cloud server upon docking.  Hensel Phelps uses this for BIM‑to‑field comparisons, progress tracking, and installation tracking, allowing the project team to monitor progress and identify deviations with greater accuracy.

“Beyond photo documentation, Spot can transport a terrestrial laser scanner to capture overhead and in‑wall rough‑in conditions. These scans are then imported into the coordinated model to validate installation accuracy before systems are concealed. Field AI works closely with Hensel Phelps on a weekly basis to expand Spot’s capabilities, leveraging AI tools and direct feedback from on‑site personnel to align development with real construction workflows.”

The 3D printer is like “a battery-powered lawnmower that prints the walls,” says Manning. “If there is a metal stud on the wall, it shows that. If there’s gypsum, it draws another line. It draws where the receptacles are; colors of the floor, inbeds to install over … it saves so much time because the lead drywall guy doesn’t have to send staff over there with a tape measure to pinpoint a spot to start [building] a wall.”

The Hewlett-Packard SitePrint robot “enables automated printing of gridlines, wall locations—including drywall and finish boundaries—door openings, room identification, and MEP wall penetration locations,” Minnick adds. “The system can lay out multiple trade disciplines simultaneously while maintaining survey‑grade accuracy through integration with a robotic total station tied to project control. When properly sequenced, the technology significantly compresses layout durations and improves precision across trades.”  

Manning says that regarding the nearly $150,000 spent on the 3D printing, “we think that we get back more than twice that value.” 

                                                                                                                                   Photo courtesy Hensel Phelps

Due to the project's three major separate elements, phasing has been a top challenge. “It’s very spread out,” says Perrin. Also, work such as installing the canopy and working on the baggage claim roof are taking take place while airport operations still continue. With World Cup soccer matches coming to Houston this summer, “we don’t want to be in a major phase of construction during the event,” he says. “When it’s over, we’ll go back [to active construction].”

He adds, “In 2014, [Manning], myself and Corgan were part of the team that built the first international gates. [Southwest] had always planned an extension. Now, a decade from the first project, we’ve reassembled to finish what we started.”