Airside D’s outer walls going up at TPA

Skin is starting to cover the bones of Tampa International Airport's Airside D, as workers have begun placing precast concrete panels that form part of the exterior of the new terminal building.

While structural steel continues to be erected to create the frame of Airside D, crews have been lifting the panels into place with a crane to form the very first outside walls.

The concrete panels are cast offsite and then trucked to TPA. Workers then align the panels in the proper location and fasten them into place, tying it into the structural steel forming the skeleton of the building.

The panels are similar to the precast concrete used to make the elevator shafts throughout Airside D, but these have a special exterior finish with a rough texture highlighting the stone and sand that make up the walls to complement the adjacent metal and glass panels, creating a cohesive architectural appearance.

The first phase of the concrete panel placement will see 83 pieces set along the outline of Airside D. More panels will be placed as the project progresses and will tie together with panels of glass for the many windows forming the project's exterior walls.

In other areas of the worksite, crews continue to work on the shuttle guideway to the Main Terminal; place the concrete floors for the Airside; cover the existing steel with the first layers of roofing material; erect staircases throughout the levels of the building; and perform dozens of various mechanical, electrical, and plumbing tasks necessary to make Airside D operational.

TPA broke ground on Airside D in December 2024, with the building scheduled to be open to the public in 2029. The design-build team for the project is led by construction company Hensel Phelps, with architecture and engineering company HNTB Corporation, in association with Gensler.

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