This high-profile public-private redevelopment adapted the building’s 129,000-sf Flight Center, which hadn’t been used since 2001, into a massive lobby bookended by two wings with 512 hotel rooms, a subterranean 46,000-sf conference center with a 7,000-sf banquet hall and 43 meeting rooms, six restaurants, eight bars (including one that was built inside of the fuselage of a 1958 Lockheed Constellation jet), an observation deck, retail shops, and a rooftop pool. All of these are connected via an underground service system that links to JetBlue Terminal 5.
New mechanicals were added to support new amenity areas and the hotel’s operational spaces that surpass current hospitality and transportation industry performance standards. The hotel now has its own onsite, continuous-duty cogeneration plant that produces all of its electricity and heating independent of the airport’s utility grids. All of the lighting was converted to LEDs, and the sprinkler system was replaced.
HONORABLE MENTION
BUILDING TEAM Jaros, Baum & Bolles (submitting firm, MEP) MCR/MORSE Development (owner/developer) Beyer Blinder Belle (architect) Lubranco Ciavarra Architects (hotel designer) Stonehill Taylor (interior designer–hotel) INC Architecture & Design (interior designer–event spaces) Arup (SE) Turner Construction (CM) DETAILS 440,000 sf Total cost $265 million Construction time December 2016 to May 2019 Delivery method Design-bid-build
Related Stories
Reconstruction Awards | Jan 6, 2021
University of Pennsylvania’s Stemmler Hall forgoes retrofit in favor of complete renovation
The Edward J. Stemmler Hall project has won a Bronze Award in BD+C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 29, 2020
The reenvisioned Sazerac House: A delectable cocktail that's just perfect for the Big Easy
The 51,987-sf Sazerac House is an interactive cocktail museum, active distillery, corporate headquarters, and event venue, all under one roof, next to the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 18, 2020
Can converting a landmark office to a clinic raise up a downtrodden Philadelphia neighborhood?
BD+C’s Reconstruction Awards recognize the adaptive reuse of the Kensington Trust building.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 18, 2020
Spokane Riverfront Park U.S. Pavilion project creates a refreshed gathering place in Spokane
The project has won a Bronze Award in BD+C's 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 16, 2020
Voters resuscitate an abandoned high school in northern California
A 2014 bond issue provided financing to seismically stabilize and modernize Historic Alameda High School, a 2020 Silver Reconstruction Award winner.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 14, 2020
Wyoming Capitol Square renovation project is all about the details
The Wyoming Capitol Square project has won a Gold Award in BD+C's 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 12, 2020
A famed dome of a historic glasshouse is revived to its rightful glory
Scaffolding played a critical role in the repair and restoration of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s Palm Dome at the New York Botanical Gardens, a Gold winner of BD&C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 8, 2020
A synagogue in Toronto is renewed while preserving its history
Holy Blossom Temple is a Platinum winner in BD+C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards.