News

C&S is proud to announce that the firm received a 2020 Diamond Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies, New York Chapter; and a 2019 Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects, Central New York Chapter, for the design of a landmark renovation and upgrade to the passenger terminal at Syracuse Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, NY. The awards represent the highest level designated by each chapter.

C&S was the architect, engineer, and construction manager for nearly $60 million in renovations to create a new front door to the region and provide a modern, iconic transformation to a functional, but dated, terminal building at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The updates and the addition of new services has set a record number of airlines and non-stop flights at the airport and broken records in passenger traffic for the first time in decades.

A new exterior façade of contemporary aesthetic rebrands the airport, incorporating a light and sculptural canopy to shelter, while offering an open and welcoming area at the curb.

The interior renovation modernized spaces and fashioned an environment that recognizes the needs of today’s air traveler with improved wayfinding and innovative architectural elements. To enhance the passenger experience, the design aims to visually simplify and open the terminal up from the entrance to where the TSA checkpoint exists. Ready-to-fly passengers can enter from the garage using the updated bridges and head directly to TSA. The aged escalators and elevators were replaced with new units, further increasing the feeling of transparency with glass-walled elevators and shafts.

Within the pre-security space open to the public, a regional aviation history museum highlights the airport’s past as well as that of the region as a whole. The museum is free and open to the public and has a mixture of artifacts and interactive displays affording a space for passengers and visitors in general.

With an extremely aggressive schedule of 10 months tied to funding reimbursements, the project was completed on time and the airport was re-opened as planned. The grand opening coincided with a sold-out black-tie gala.

The original terminal building was constructed in 1962, with subsequent additions and renovations completed over its 54-year history. While the terminal was functional and well-operated, the passenger experience suffered. Outdated design concepts in layout, materials, and aesthetics created unwelcoming spaces. Meanwhile, the organic growth of the facility over time, and the resulting lack of master planning, had caused inefficient and unintuitive passenger movement.

This project not only increases operational efficiency at the airport and improves public perception, but will also stimulate air service, economic development, trade, and tourism in the region for years to come.