Portland International Airport Gets Its Biggest Makeover to Date, from a Team with over Twenty Years of PDX Experience
PDX Terminal Core Redevelopment
Hoffman is playing a major role in the series of transformative projects at Portland International Airport known as PDX Next. Hoffman has teamed up with Skanska USA to create the Hoffman Skanska Joint Venture. With annual travelers expected to climb to 33 million by 2045, the Terminal Core Redevelopment project is a vital expansion that ensures PDX will be able to serve the community well into the future.
For the primary TCORE project, we are completely remodeling the Terminal Core. The renovated passenger entry terminal doubles the size of the current ticketing and lobby area. We installed a new 9-acre large-span roofing system over the entire terminal core complex, built a 150-foot multi-floor addition between Concourses C and D, and added new pre- and post-security concessions. Gate count is critical for PDX operation, so the team coordinated with each airline to replace one bridge at a time.
In addition, Hoffman rebuilt and enlarged Concourse B to include six new gates for Alaska Airlines with floor-to-ceiling windows, leafy foliage to common areas, and new Portland-centric food vendors. To do this, Concourse A and the old Concourse B we demolished and enabling work was required in Concourse C to give displaced airlines a place to move.
Challenge
During a massive renovation of the central Terminal Core, how is Hoffman maintaining the distinctive and beloved PDX experience for passengers?
Solution
In order to maintain the America’s Best Airport status, our team is providing passengers with clear wayfinding, safe passage, and access to the amenities they love. Hoffman Skanska has created a special Airport Operations Coordination team to focus on the passenger experience and stakeholder engagement. Their role is to ensure the experience at PDX becomes even better with interactive experiences to engage the traveling public.
Project Story
A Nine-Acre Long-Span Roof Showcases Oregon Timber and Local Talent
The new roofing system over the entire terminal core complex spans six football fields and showcase a wood and glass roof that fills the airport with light. The building was designed for peak sustainability with daylighting, optimized mechanical components, and an efficient envelope—but it also extends the concept of sustainability to the seven-year project’s potential to have a positive impact on helping sustain the local economy.
The roof is not only a beautiful way to showcase Oregon timber, but also benefits the local industry by bringing together small and large suppliers, fabricators, craftspeople, and engineering firms.
Upholding PDX’s Reputation as the Best in America While Keeping the Airport Operational 24/7
PDX was recently ranked No. 1 in the country by The Washington Post and has been voted the Best in America by Travel + Leisure magazine for seven consecutive years. To uphold this award-winning passenger experience during construction, our team is providing clear wayfinding, safe passage, and full access to the amenities travelers love. All work is carefully phased to maintain 24/7 operations, ensuring uninterrupted service for the 50,000 passengers who travel through the airport each day — keeping PDX at the top of the list of America’s Best Airports.
Fast Company Names PDX Best Design in North America
Fast Company recognized the PDX Terminal Core Redevelopment with the 2025 Best Design North America award, noting the airport expansion “features sustainably sourced wood roofing, transforming the terminal experience into something that feels more like a walk in a forest.” Read the full article.
Hoffman Builds: Mass Timber
Building off decades of self‑perform structural experience and a commitment to our regional wood industry, Hoffman is a strong partner in delivering large‑scale mass timber projects.
Infusing the Airport with Everything People Love About Oregon
Using lessons learned during our long history of construction at PDX, Hoffman is helping to preserve the unique character of our beloved airport while making the much-needed improvements. The spacious and green new main terminal will make navigating PDX even easier thanks to expanded security checkpoints and an intuitive layout. The new design will feature lots of Pacific Northwest character in new local places to eat and shop, nature on display in plentiful foliage, trees, and daylighting, an iconic wooden roof spanning nine acres, and sustainable features that Portlanders can take pride in. The project is targeting LEED Gold and will have seismic resiliency updates throughout the facility.
Building on a Long-Term Relationship with the Port of Portland
Hoffman has completed more than a dozen projects at PDX over the last 26 years that have helped shape it into one of the traveling public’s favorite airports in the US. From the soaring steel and glass canopy that spans the entrance to the airport terminal, to the consolidated headquarters and 3,500-space parking garage, to upgrades to the Emergency Operations Center with state-of-the-art communications and controls systems, to the comprehensive, system-wide upgrade of PDX control hardware and software at more than 350 doors at the terminal, airfield, and support buildings, Hoffman has touched nearly every inch of PDX over the years.
Hoffman's PDX Experience
We’ve not only learned how the airport operates while building and renovating many areas of the TCORE project, but we’ve developed relationships with the people who serve PDX passengers and learned what travelers want when they pass through the airport. This expertise, combined with our comprehensive understanding of TSA, FAA, air carrier regulations and aircraft operations, is allowing us to provide optimal solutions for the Port of Portland’s schedule and budget.
Growing Small Businesses Through the Port of Portland’s Port Mentor-Protégé Program
We have a long history of mentoring COBID-certified small businesses through the Port of Portland’s Port Mentor-Protégé program, expanding the capabilities of numerous firms. Hoffman has been involved in the Port’s Mentor program for the last 26 years and mentored more than 30 firms.
The Mentor-Protégé Program is a nationally recognized small business development program that has been operating continuously since 1995. The program was developed to overcome barriers small businesses face when trying to do business with government agencies. The three-year program pairs each protégé firm with two mentors who work with the small business to develop a strategic plan specific to the needs of the small business and overcome obstacles the firm is facing. In addition to mentoring firms through the program, Hoffman has subcontracted Mentor-Protégé graduates on PDX projects that include HQP2 and QTA, and now on the TCORE project.
