--- In BATN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "2/6 SJ Business Journal" <batn@xxxx> wrote: Published Friday, February 6, 2004, in the San Jose Business Journal Mineta airport wants dramatic eye-catcher to lure global fliers By Andrew F. Hamm Mineta San Jose Airport's new main entrance in 2006 will be temporary, but if airport officials have their way, you'll remember it long after it's gone. To take advantage of a quirk in the airport's construction schedule, San Jose is planning to make a "powerful architectural statement" outside the north concourse of the planned central terminal. What exactly that piece of art might look like be won't be known until later this year, although Aviation Director Ralph Tonseth says the look must be "dramatic." "Put a giant cheeseburger there, I don't care; it needs to be outrageous," says Mr. Tonseth, only partly in jest. The idea is to give Mineta San Jose International Airport some much-needed buzz. "My biggest problem trying to sell European airlines on flying to San Jose is that no one in Europe knows where San Jose is," Mr. Tonseth says. San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler has been hired to design the new mega-terminal. While he isn't letting on to what may be coming, lead architect Steven Weindel says the goal is to have it rival San Francisco's Transamerica pyramid building or Sydney's opera house. "Silicon Valley is viewed around the world as the economic mecca of the world, and they all want to visit here. We need an airport to meet those expectations," says Mr. Weindel. For business leaders, the modernization couldn't come too soon. Jim Cunneen, president of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, has called the airport "an embarrassment." Even airport commissioner Don Simpson says "San Jose is a real bland airport. We really need a new look." The $1.3 billion terminal will be built in stages starting as early as 2005 with the construction of the $274 million North Concourse that will hold the temporary entranceway. That section must be built first because it will hold most of the baggage screening devices now being held in tents just outside the airport's two existing terminals. The plan is to install a conveyer belt system that will automate much of what is now done manually. When completed, the single terminal will encompass more than 1.07 million square feet. It will increase the number of gates from 32 to 40 and provide increased parking in a 10-story garage. The airport plans to have the final, permanent main entranceway squarely in the center of the new Central Terminal, for logistical and aesthetic reasons. That means the North Concourse's entranceway will be removed, perhaps by 2010. The exact terminal design isn't expected to be ready until March, Mr. Weindel says. The architectural firms are looking for a consensus on needs before getting into details, he says. That includes talking with several large and small Silicon Valley companies as well as neighborhood groups, Mr. Weindel says. However, some things are known. Architects are proposing large open spaces in the terminal's central area that includes lots of natural light and security checkpoints that are wide open and easy to identify. Tall, glass-dominated walls were envisioned before Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Now they probably aren't practical due to their conflict with federal security standards, but spacious, well-lighted areas can still be obtained, Mr. Weindel says. The piecemeal approach has made some airport advocates nervous, drawing comparisons to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's efforts to complete its light-rail system. The airport's two biggest carriers, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, have expressed support for the new terminal and the upgraded security systems. By Andrew F. Hamm covers transportation for the Business Journal. Reach him at (408) 299-1841. --- End forwarded message ---