Pensacola International Airport

Introduction

Pensacola International Airport, aka PNS, welcomes nearly two million travelers annually. Many of those visitors come seeking the sugar-sand shoreline and southern sun of Florida’s gulf coast. 

Even sandals and flip-flops can take their toll on airport flooring when there’s such a high volume of traffic coming through. When it came time to update the flooring throughout the center concourse—the highest traffic area of the entire facility, airport leaders turned to the design team at Mott MacDonald’s Mobile, AL office. The Mott MacDonald team is well-versed in orchestrating thoughtfully-managed projects that achieve overall goals while respecting the existing operations and requirements of the spaces to be updated. For PNS, the team led a seamless renovation by scheduling installation to take place in segments of the concourse after hours, thus minimizing disruption for travelers and airport staff.

The  Story

The project specifications required that the flooring offer exceptional durability and ease of cleaning and maintenance. Additionally, the flooring needed to provide a smooth surface for all the roller boards, wheeled suitcases, equipment, and wheelchairs that are commonly used in the airport. The team was also concerned about acoustics in the large, open space of the 400’-long concourse area. And, of course, the look and style of the material had to align with the desired ‘coastal sands’ aesthetic the team sought to create for this Florida vacation hub.

Ultimately, the team chose Crossville’s Moonstruck porcelain tile collection in the 18” x 36” plank size. 

“We had to have a material that was durable enough to withstand the heaviest traffic, the ability to work concourse segments in off-hours as to not interfere with passenger travel, and the Crossville porcelain tile was a great solution,” explained Mott MacDonald interior designer Anne Brooks, RID, ASID.

With its sandstone-textured and striation-rich design, Moonstruck echoes the feel of the beach, and its warm-to-cool tones and flowing, directional veining give dimension and visual interest. The design team incorporated four Moonstruck colors—Juno, Kosmos, Gemini, and Apollo—and mixed the collection’s polished and matte options to create the look of flowing waves throughout the concourse. Additionally—according to Brooks, the “product’s coloration fit perfectly with the theme” and allowed the team to easily capture the coastal sands aesthetic. 

Not only did the line offer the right look, but the large planks supported the goal of sound reduction. Installers were able to use small grout joints in application which aids in lessening noise from rolling luggage and carts. 

“The Moonstruck series with its edge design made the roller boards sounds minimal,” Brooks shared.

To greet travelers in truly unique Pensacola style, the design team included waterjet-cut designs of pelicans artfully inserted into the flooring throughout the concourse. Pensacola is recognized as Pelican City thanks to the natural presence of the iconic bird throughout the region. The city celebrates this distinction with an annual event, as well as the placement of more than 40 ‘Pelicans in Paradise’ statues around the area. The waterjet-cut pelican inserts throughout the main concourse areas are a stunning nod to Pensacola’s avian ambassadors. They’re joined by seagull and wave designs, as well.

“The two available finishes of each color, polished or matte, gave us unlimited possibilities of combinations to enhance the waterjet inserts of pelicans, seagulls, and flowing arcs throughout the concourse,” summarized Brooks.