USA. Phase 3 of The New SLC Redevelopment Program has been launched at Salt Lake City International Airport. Key elements include 12 retail and food & beverage concessions, a Concourse B Plaza, the Central Tunnel and five additional Delta Air Lines gates.
The 12 concessions occupy 19,260sq ft and are operated by a combination of Bambuza Hospitality Group, HMSHost, Marshall Retail Group (a WHSmith company), Paradies Lagardère, SLC Airport Concessions Group and SSP America.
New F&B locations include Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen; Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers; Maggiano’s Little Italy; The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf; and two venues inspired by Salt Lake City brands in Thirst and Sunday’s Best.
The retail stores are iStore Express; Relay; Travel Right; Cotopaxi; The Canyon; and Weller Book Works, with the latter three iterations of Salt Lake City brands.
Four art installations are highlighted in Phase 3 that celebrate and recognise the State of Utah’s beauty and natural history. The Central Tunnel connecting the A and B Concourses features a large-scale art installation by artist Gordon Huether titled The River Tunnel.
The Salt Lake City Department of Airports noted this art installation reflects the rivers that flow through Utah’s mountains and canyons. Huether has designed an immersive experience “to create a cohesive, congruous experience for passengers”.
Also for The River Tunnel art installation, more than 100 songs have been curated by Huether including tunes relating to travel and/or Utah. The playlist includes songs such as Salt Lake City by The Beach Boys, Call of the Champions by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and In My Own Little Corner of the World by Marie Osmond.
As passengers exit The River Tunnel, they enter the Concourse B Plaza where an extension of The Canyon and the Northern Light oculus art installations by Huether continue the airport’s theme to celebrate Utah’s natural beauty.
Northern Light weighs 3.1 tonnes and is fabricated from 500 glass rods and 300 dichroic glass panels. The half-sphere framework is made of stainless steel.
Also located in Concourse B Plaza is The World Map that once graced the floor of Terminal 1 in the original airport. The World Map was created by Dallas stoneworker Julius Bartoli based on drawings by Ashton, Evans & Brazier and installed in T1 in 1960.
Initially, airport engineers did not think it was possible to remove The World Map without damaging the pieces; however, further examination determined it was possible. The World Map was dismantled and placed in storage until it was relocated to Concourse B this summer.
An installation that highlights Utah’s natural history has been the best-kept secret as part of The New SLC’s Phase 3 opening. Ally the dinosaur has been donated to the airport by the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU).
The replica fossil skeleton of Allosaurus fragilis – Utah’s state fossil – is the quintessential Late Jurassic carnivorous dinosaur. The giant animal is believed to have roamed Utah’s landscapes 150 million years ago and is now one of the most popular dinosaurs worldwide.
NHMU is Utah’s official state museum of natural history and home to the largest Allosaurus collection in the world.
“With the opening of Phase 3 we have reached an extraordinary milestone in The New SLC Redevelopment Program,” said Salt Lake City Department of Airports Executive Director Bill Wyatt. “We have built an airport that is convenient, inspiring, flexible, sustainable and provides our passengers with a first-class experience.” ✈
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