Nashville International Airport unveiled the new Grand Lobby in the renovated 200,000-square-foot space in the center of the terminal Thursday evening.
The area, which officially opens to the public Jan. 24, includes 24 Transportation Security Administration screening lanes and multimedia digital and visual art.
The renovation is part of BNA Vision, the airport’s growth and expansion plan started in 2017 to provide world-class facilities for business and leisure travelers in Tennessee and surrounding states.
“The new Grand Lobby dramatically changes the look, feel and energy of the airport,” Doug Kreulen, president and CEO of Nashville International Airport, said. “We’ve more than doubled our security screening capacity to handle the region’s growth and popularity as a destination.”
BNA’s Grand Lobby features a sweeping roof canopy with an oculus skylight reminiscent of an acoustic guitar when viewed from above. It also includes a pedestrian bridge that connects to the Grand Plaza, Terminal Parking Garage and a hotel that will be completed later this year.
Once inside, travelers will be greeted with an immersive multimedia showcase of Tennessee scenery and themes through 70-foot, 12K resolution screens.
The lobby also prominently features a five-story sculpture from artist Jacob Hashimoto called “The Unscalable Ramparts of Time,” an installation crafted with 8,000 washi paper kites suspended from fiber glass rods.
Each side wall of the lobby showcases a 105-foot hanging garden by Garden on the Wall, which portrays the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge through the use of moss, hydrangea, ferns and other native Tennessee flora.
The master architect for BNA Vision is Corgan, and the design-build team for the Grand Lobby was Hensel Phelps and Fentress Architects.
The opening of a new Hilton Hotel and International Arrivals Facility this year will mark the completion of the BNA Vision plan. The next phase, called New Horizon, is a $1.4 billion plan over the next six years, Kreulen said.
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