Carla Clark | For The Republic Matthew Kreilich, of Snow Kreilich Architects, speaks about a previous walkway project during presentations by architecture firms vying to design Columbus Municipal Airportճ new air traffic control tower, hosted by The Landmark Columbus Foundation, at Helen Haddad Hall, Columbus, Ind., Monday, October 30, 2023.
Aviation officials and the public recently heard from four architecture firms in the running to design a new Columbus Municipal Airport air traffic control tower.
The airport, with support from the Landmark Columbus Foundation, hosted public presentations from the firms at Helen Haddad Hall on Monday. Attendees heard from SO – IL Architects (Brooklyn, New York), Marlon Blackwell Architects (Fayetteville, Arkansas), Howeler + Yoon (Boston, Massachusetts.) and Snow Kreilich (Minneapolis, Minnesota).
“All four firms, I thought, just really understood and embodied the idea of Columbus,” said airport director Brian Payne. “… It’s exciting to talk to design firms from all over the United States, and these firms are as passionate about being here in Columbus as we are.”
About 30 members of the general public attended the morning sessions and at least 55 people at the afternoon presentations.
The firms arrived over the weekend, toured Columbus Municipal Airport and had the opportunity to go inside the existing tower. During their presentations, the architects spoke about their design aesthetics, how they go about designing projects and collaborating with clients, other firms they might work with if hired and their past experience, Payne said.
He noted that while none of the groups have designed air traffic control towers before, some have experience with “higher, taller structures.”
For instance, Marlon Blackwell previously worked on the Keenan TowerHouse in Fayetteville, Arkansas. According to the firm, the tower “rises above the tree canopy to provide panoramic views of the surrounding cityscape and the foothills of the Ozark Mountains with the opportunity for direct contact with the elements.”
“All of them had very specialty items and specialty pieces, and they showcased off those and how they connect to their environment, wherever it is they’re working on,” Payne said. “The firm out of Boston, Howeler + Yoon, focused a lot on a project they did after the Boston Marathon bombing and how they connected to that local community, to the MIT community on designing a memorial.”
Another firm, SO – IL, discussed the development of their previous Exhibit Columbus installation, Payne said.
“Into the Hedge,” a 2019 Miller Prize Winner, was a grid of 130 living Arbor Vitae trees planted in a large-scale hammock structure on the Bartholomew County Courthouse lawn. The area was intended to create a welcoming space for gathering.
Payne also noted that Snow Kreilich had “extremely strong subcontractors” it planned to work with and a “much more environmental presence.”
While some attendees may have expected to see rough designs or concepts, the guiding team explicitly asked the four firms not to present these, he said.
He explained that the team is looking for the best firm to “fit us just holistically” and act as a collaborative partner. Additionally, they didn’t want the firms to spend a significant amount of time, effort and money working on a design that may not suit the airport or fit its $12 million budget.
The new control tower will replace the airport’s existing 80-year-old tower and will be upgraded to align with current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control Tower standards, including sighting, backup cooling and power, security, fire and life safety, and FAA equipment. Payne said the plan is for construction to start in April of 2025.
The project is supported by a grant from the Cummins Foundation Architecture Program and funded by the FAA, Indiana Department of Transportation, and the City of Columbus.
The Cummins Foundation Architecture Program recommends architects and provides funds for the design portion of the architect fees for selected public projects to encourage architectural excellence in Bartholomew County.
The guiding team working to select a firm from the shortlist includes Payne, two members of the Columbus Board of Aviation Commissioners, Columbus Area Visitors Center Executive Director Misty Weisensteiner, Landmark Columbus Executive Director Richard McCoy, air traffic control tower manager Mike McCoy and several members of Woolpert, which is completing the structural design of the new tower.
The team hopes to publicly announce its decision by Nov. 14.
“Our plan from a guiding team standpoint is really just trying to find the best firm that we feel like embodies the idea, the collaborative nature of Columbus,” Payne said. “We want to make sure that they’re hearing us and that they’re ultimately communicating back and forth with us, which all of them have really done such a fantastic job at that. It’s going to be extremely difficult for the guiding team to make a decision.”
