Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore recently underwent a substantial upgrade to the HVAC system in its Concourse D. As part of the project, a decades-old ceiling was removed. “Airport management desired a new ceiling and lighting system in the central corridors that would help create the illusion of higher ceilings and really stand out,” says Jennifer Hensel, design associate at JMT Architecture in Hunt Valley, Md. “They wanted it to be unique and dynamic while imparting a sense of movement.”

To meet the design objective, Hensel chose Calla Shapes for DesignFlex, a ceiling system that provides the opportunity to mix and match different shapes, sizes, colors and materials to create a signature ceiling. Three different panel shapes were used in the corridor ceiling: 45-degree left parallelograms, 45-degree right parallelograms and 45-degree triangles.

Three overlapping tiers of acoustical ceilings dominate the space, with the eye-catching central corridor being the highest tier and the holding/gate areas the lowest.

T-Bar Light Fixtures Replace Grid

In addition, many of the cross-members in the suspended ceiling grid system were replaced with JLC Tech T-Bar Flex lights, specifically designed to integrate with the ceilings. “We were looking to create a sense of movement throughout the central corridor similar to birds in flight,” Hensel notes. Triangular Price air diffusers, also designed to integrate with the ceilings, were installed in a tier of panels below the main corridor ceiling.

ProjectWorks, the complementary design and pre-construction service, assisted in the project. “They were a huge help,” Hensel states. “Once we had our design, ProjectWorks provided a comprehensive drawing package. This helped simplify installation since different colors represented different panels and the layouts displayed how the different panel shapes are installed throughout the space.”

Many of the cross-members in the suspended ceiling grid system were replaced with JLC Tech T-Bar Flex lights, specifically designed to integrate with the ceilings.

Crews Could Only Work at Night

When it came to installation, project manager Karl Owens of Northern Contracting Co. in Bel Air, Md., reports his crews had never installed a DesignFlex ceiling before. “However, the panel, grid and hub layouts provided by ProjectWorks were a big help, and everything went well,” he says.

“The real challenge was the concourse was fully operational during the project, so we could only work at night when far fewer passengers were around,” Owens notes. In addition, the crews could only open up 2,500 square feet at a time because of fire codes. “We needed enough material to cover a section each night,” he states. “But there was no place to store materials, so staging was a logistical nightmare and required a lot of coordination.”

The sheer size of the project also provided challenges with alignment throughout the long, straight corridor. “We couldn’t use a laser when passengers were present, so we often had to use a string line,” the contractor notes.

The corridors totaled more than 26,000 square feet, requiring the installers to accurately locate, position and install over 6,000 brackets and field-connect to nearly 2,000 perimeter connection clips. The project also required the integration of nearly 850 light fixtures and the installation of nearly 10,000 feet of trim. The variety of trim installed throughout the concourse included both straight and curved trim as well as moldings and column rings.

The unique new ceiling imparts a dynamic sense of movement in BWI Airport’s Concourse D. It also creates the illusion of being a higher ceiling than it is.

Same Smooth Finish above Gate Areas

In addition to the central corridors, the project also included the installation of 45,000 square feet of 2-foot x 2-foot Calla ceiling panels above the holding/gate areas. Hensel reports Calla ceilings were chosen for three reasons. “The first was visual,” she says. “We wanted to match the same smooth finish as the ceiling in the corridor. We did not want a real fissured panel. Second, we wanted more light reflection because the existing ceiling was very dark. Calla panels have a light reflectance value of 0.85. And third, better acoustical performance.” Calla panels feature Total Acoustics performance, meaning they both absorb sound (NRC = 0.85) and block sound (CAC = 35) in the same panel.

The result is three overlapping tiers of ceilings that dominate the space, with the eye-catching central corridor being the highest tier and the holding/gate areas the lowest.