Jeanne Gang-led Studio ORD to Design New Global Terminal at O’Hare!

The long wait is over! Today, the City of Chicago announced that Studio ORD, a collaborative effort led by Jeanne Gang, will design the new Global Terminal and Global Concourse at O’Hare International Airport. Studio ORD is a joint venture partnership between Studio Gang, Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), Corgan, Milhouse Engineering and Construction, and STL Architects.

Part of an $8.5 billion expansion, the largest in the airport’s history, Studio ORD’s design will redevelop the existing Terminal 2 into a brand-new facility that will for the first time integrate international and domestic operations at O’Hare. Studio ORD won an international design competition that the City launched in June 2018. The five finalist designs were unveiled in January 2019 and were subsequently displayed for public feedback at Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) and O’Hare’s existing Terminal 2.

“The new Global Terminal and Global Concourse is a critical project for unlocking both O’Hare’s potential to be a leader in aviation and Chicago’s future success as a contemporary, economically strong, and truly global city,” said Jeanne Gang, Founding Principal of Studio Gang and Lead Designer of Studio ORD. “As a native Chicagoan, I understand deeply the importance of O’Hare to our city’s identity, and I am honored that my hometown has provided my team the opportunity to realize a design that can demonstrate Chicago’s unique culture, traditions, and diversity to visitors and residents alike.”

“The City of Chicago called upon teams from across the city and around the world to lead O’Hare’s historic expansion, and Studio ORD answered that call,” said Mayor Emanuel. “During this historic competition, the world’s best architecture firms submitted their incredible visions for the world to see—with each of these five world-class designs strengthening our plans to bring O’Hare into the 21st century. Today we congratulate Studio ORD who has proven they have the experience, expertise, and the talent needed to work with the City of Chicago as we usher in a new era at O’Hare.”

Studio ORD’s winning design celebrates Chicago’s history as a city shaped by lines of movement and extends that legacy for the 21st century. Like the confluence of the Chicago River, the design’s converging three branches create a central hub that establishes a vibrant new neighborhood in the heart of O’Hare’s campus.

Curving to increase efficiency, wayfinding, and connectivity, the design’s tripartite form merges terminal and concourse into a single building. At the branches’ confluence, a dramatic Oculus welcomes visitors under a six-pointed glass skylight whose geometry references the Chicago flag. When seen from above, the building greets passengers with an easily recognizably Chicago icon: the city’s “Y symbol,” or Municipal Device, that represents the branching Chicago River.

Overall, the expansion project should accommodate an additional 20 million passengers a year at O’Hare by adding 3 million square feet of terminal space and 30 to 35 gates to the airport’s current 18. It will also be one of the largest terminals ever built in the U.S. when complete.

The city will select a separate team to design two new satellite concourses west of Terminal 1 from four remaining finalist teams. The CDA is seeking additional public input on which amenities should be included in the next phase of the O’Hare expansion.

See the presentation video here.

The $2.2 billion, 2.2 million sq ft Global Terminal and Global Concourse is expected to break ground in 2023. For more information about Studio ORD’s design, please visit https://www.studioord.com/

About the Team:

A Chicago-based team led by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, Studio ORD is a true confluence of visionary design, unparalleled operational expertise, and proven ability to deliver in Chicago. A Joint Venture between Studio Gang, SCB, Corgan, Milhouse, and STL, Studio ORD was formed to realize the City’s ambitions for a new Global Terminal and Global Concourse at O’Hare International Airport.

STUDIO GANG   Founded by American architect Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang is an architecture and urban design practice headquartered in Chicago and the lead designer on the O’Hare project. Known for innovative buildings that enhance the public space around them, Studio Gang has completed such award-winning Chicago projects as the Aqua Tower, Writers Theatre, Eleanor Boathouse, and the under-construction Vista Tower which, when complete, will be the third tallest in the city. In addition, Studio Gang is currently designing civic, cultural and educational projects across the Americas, including the new United States Embassy in Brazil, an expansion of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and a new campus for California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

MILHOUSE ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION   Milhouse is a dedicated, multidisciplinary team of over 200 professionals with individuals licensed in multiple states. Milhouse brings a palpable enthusiasm to the work we do and the people we do it with, plus a devotion to our communities that’s as real as it gets. Our goal is simple: to help our clients integrate their systems, reduce costs, and improve operations in a safe and reliable manner. Milhouse delivers superior solutions to complex engineering and construction challenges around the globe.

SOLOMON CORDWELL BUENZ (SCB)  SCB is an architecture, interior design, and planning firm with a thoughtful design vision and a dynamic national imprint. Founded in 1931 and headquartered in Chicago, SCB has made a lasting visual impact on skylines, campuses, and neighborhoods nationwide. SCB has completed 500+ projects in the Chicagoland region including aviation, large-scale and complex mixed-use and civic projects, and some of the most innovative sustainable projects in the region.

CORGAN   Corgan is a leading design firm with proven technical experience and a reputation for great service. Consistently ranked as one of the top five architecture firms, we listen to our clients and transform their insights into structures and spaces that inspire, inform and innovate. For eight decades, Corgan has developed a specialized expertise in aviation and possesses the resources to solve the most complex issues at any airport. We believe we are part of something greater than ourselves and that our work should have a positive impact on the world. We combine a sound functional operational approach with a sensitivity to aesthetic value that leads to highly successful environments.

STLARCHITECTS  STLArchitects is an architecture and urban design firm founded in 1996 and headquartered in Chicago. With projects in the US, Europe and Asia, STLArchitects’ design work has been widely recognized for its design excellence and has been published worldwide. The work of STL is diverse, ranging from master plans to small cultural centers and large educational facilities to compact private schools. Projects such as the Lycée Français de Chicago, winner of the 2018 AIA Distinguished Building Award, Back of the Yards High School, and Williams Field House have solidified STLarchitects as one of Chicago’s leading architecture firms.