It has had a handful of names since it first opened in 1930, but the mid-sized Southern California airport, now known as Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), is best known as a charming, convenient alternative to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
In October, when the airport’s $1.3 billion replacement terminal opens just north of the current 96-year-old terminal, the charm will remain, but the convenience will skyrocket.
BUR is just 12 miles north of downtown Los Angeles and is the closest LA-area airport to attractions such as Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Nine commercial airlines serve the airport with nonstop flights to about 30 destinations in North America.
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Hollywood Burbank Airport is known for its close-in parking and public transit access, as well as a fast curb-to-gate journey and the lack of jetways.
At BUR, passengers walk onto the tarmac and up the airstairs to board their planes, just like in the old days.
As charming as it sounds, the current terminal has problems.
For starters, the existing two-concourse, 14-gate facility is cramped and lacks many modern-day airport necessities and conveniences, said Patrick Lammerding, the airport’s deputy executive director of operations, security and safety management systems. It barely meets modern Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, and it has limits on concessions, amenities and hold room seating.
The terminal building does not meet California’s seismic standards, nor does it comply with current Federal Aviation Administration rules for distance from the main runway.
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Neither fixing the current terminal nor rebuilding it in the same spot was an option. So, in a project that Lammerding said was “decades in the making,” a $1.3 billion Replacement Passenger Terminal is being built just north of the current terminal.
The new terminal is set to open Oct. 13. After that, the old terminal will be razed.
What will Hollywood Burbank Airport’s new terminal look like?
The new replacement terminal will have 14 gates, just like the old terminal did. But it will have more space (335,000 square feet versus the current 232,000 square feet) and a new, much larger parking garage.
The new terminal will meet current earthquake design and ADA accessibility standards, and it will have the required distance between the runways and the terminal building.
Inside, there will be one central eight-lane TSA checkpoint, floor-to-ceiling windows, a new baggage screening system and a single baggage claim area with three carousels. Amenities include upgraded restrooms, pet relief areas, and more shopping and dining options.
One old feature will remain: There will be no jet bridges.
In workshops seeking community input on the design of the replacement terminal, “a big thing that came out was the people like boarding planes outdoors,” Lammerding said.
So, ground boarding will continue.
“They also wanted us to keep things convenient and not screw it up,” he said.
Salute to aviation history and Hollywood glamour in the new BUR terminal
The project’s design-build team is led by Holder, Pankow, TEC, Joint Venture (HPTJV).
Corgan provides architectural services for the project, in association with CannonDesign.
And they did not screw it up.
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In addition to bringing forward the charm and convenience of the old terminal, community members told planners they wanted the new terminal to take inspiration from Hollywood’s “Golden Age” and film industry roots.
“We call it the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood,” which is reflected in everything from the shape of the building to the materials that went into it, Brent Kelley, managing principal at Corgan, said.
A metallic canopy shields travelers from the sun and ties the terminal to the parking garage.
“The material is silver, to give you the idea of the silver screen that was part of moviemaking and movie theaters,” Kelley said. Showing old black and white movies on the section of the canopy that attaches to the face of the garage was discussed but rejected as it could be too distracting for drivers. Instead, the space is used as a marquee for the Hollywood Burbank Airport sign.
A big canopy needs structure to support it. “Rather than standard columns that just drop to ground, we canted those columns to evoke the idea of the searchlights that would shine in the air whenever there was a new Hollywood movie premiere,” Kelley said.
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Inside the terminal, terrazzo flooring features spotlight-shaped inlays that serve as both whimsical touches and wayfinding tools. Even the restroom design evokes the past, featuring individual, illuminated, oval-shaped mirrors instead of a single, large mirror in the vanity areas.
Art in the new terminal reflects BUR’s role in aviation history
Outside the terminal, travelers will encounter “The Two Electras,” a pair of 16-foot-tall, illuminated ellipses by Cliff Garten. The sculpture takes inspiration from the Lockheed Model 10E Electra Special, the iconic aircraft on which Lockheed engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson worked early in his career. Built at this site in 1936, the plane was flown by Amelia Earhart during her 1937 attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
Hanging from the ceiling inside the terminal is artist Glenn Kaino’s massive, 30-by-40-foot steel mesh and mirrored ribbon piece, titled “When We Reflect.”
From 1943 until the early 1990s, Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works operation was based near the current-day Hollywood Burbank Airport, where it developed aircraft including the U-2, SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Nighthawk.
During World War II, the factory was disguised as a suburban neighborhood to protect it from potential air attacks. The camouflage included netting made by Japanese Americans who were incarcerated under Executive Order 9066 at the nearby Santa Anita Assembly Center.
Kaino’s family was among those incarcerated at Santa Anita, a history reflected in his installation at the airport’s new replacement terminal.
