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(Miami-Dade County, FL) – LAN Airlines flight #510 from Lima, Peru, made history on Monday, September 24, as the first flight at Miami International Airport’s newly constructed Concourse J. The concourse, which features 15 gates capable of handling domestic and international flights, including those by the new Airbus A380, is part of MIA’s 1.7-million-square-foot South Terminal expansion completed this month.
Eleven other airlines will move into Concourse J and seven more will operate flights at the newly renovated Concourse H, also included in South Terminal. All nineteen airlines are scheduled to relocate to the new terminal area by November 13.
In addition to concourses H and J, South Terminal also includes:
59,532 sq. ft. of concession space, including an 8,900-square-foot food pavilion and a 1,000-foot-long concession hall, for 61 dining, retail and duty-free concession locations.
A new Federal Inspection Service area that can process 2,000 international passengers per hour.
A new baggage screening system with four miles of conveyor belts that can screen and transport 4,000 bags per hour between the ticket counters, aircraft and baggage claim areas.
168 ticket counters and 1,040 feet of new curbside drop-off/pick-up space.
Three security checkpoints for Concourses H and J.
New cruise and tour bus station with 22 dedicated airline ticket counters for shuttle service to and from the Port of Miami.
900 feet of new moving walkway on the third level.
The joint venture firm of Borrelli & Associates/Mateu Carreno Rizo was commissioned in April 1997 to design and develop the South Terminal expansion project and contracted with 16 engineering and specialty consultants for the design of the facility’s massive, breathtaking architecture. MGE Architects designed Concourse J and Perez and Perez were the architects for the Concourse H renovation. Parsons-Odebrecht Joint Venture was the general contractor.
Concourse J has the sleek, metallic exterior of an airplane wing. The word “MIAMI” is built into the external wall of South Terminal visible from the airfield and nearby State Road 836, and lights up after sundown for nighttime arrivals to see. And the 110-foot-high glass walls of the circular food pavilion area are wrapped with rows of lighting to brighten the night. The interior features vaulted ceilings, towering windows, and a balance of natural and trendy, artificial lighting.
Three art projects coordinated by Miami-Dade County’s Art in Public Places (APP) Department, which is awarded one and a half percent of all new County construction by County ordinance, add to the stunning décor of South Terminal.
Foreverglades, by Miami artist Barbara Neijna, features text from Marjory Stoneman Douglas’ book River of Grass embedded into 65,000 square feet of terrazzo floor in Concourse J. Pre-cast stone panels, on-site castings of fossilized materials and flora from the Everglades, interspersed with ribbons of glass symbolizing moving water and grass, are integrated with the architecture. Expansive curtain wall windows shower the concourse with brilliant color and abstracted photographic images of South Florida and the Everglades.
Ghost Palms, by artist Norie Sato, combines the structure of palm trees with the window’s architecture at five locations along the 300-foot-long interior wall of South Terminal’s international baggage claim area.
Coral Eden, by Brad Goldberg, is the most visible art project in South Terminal due to its size and location in the greeter’s lobby for international arrivals. The work consists of two 30-foot-wide, 90-foot-high stone walls with imagery derived from macro-photographs of brain coral carved in Travertine marble from Italy.
Rotating exhibitions will also be featured in a 4,200-square-foot gallery on the fourth level above the international greeters lobby and a small exhibition space on the third level. The first exhibition will introduce a new program entitled Hand-Made, which features handcrafts from developing countries.
“South Terminal is a beautiful combination of aesthetic architectural design and efficient passenger service,” said José Abreu, Miami-Dade Aviation Department Director. “In a visual way, it will help us say to our passengers, ‘Welcome to Miami-Dade County.’”
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