Newly Redesigned And Renovated Ticketing Lobby Unveiled At Honolulu International Airport
10/27/11 - DOT's Airports Division unveiled a newly-renovated ticketing lobby at Honolulu International Airport today that incorporates Hawaii’s unique cultural and natural environment in its design. The renovated and redesigned Lobby 8 includes a brightly colored back wall made of cast glass, depicting the Pacific Ocean, and a “wave” wall made of shaped wood above the entire lobby.
Airport engineers are working on a similar Hawaiian Islands theme for Lobby 7 and work is expected to begin by the end of the year. The long-range plan is to renovate and redesign Lobbies 4, 5 and 6, also with the “Hawaiian” sense-of-place theme.
“The ticketing lobbies at Honolulu International Airport have remained largely unchanged for decades and look like they could be located in any airport in the world,” said Department of Transportation Director, Glenn Okimoto. “Now, when you enter Lobby 8, you know that you are still in Hawaii, thanks to its stunning Pacific Ocean theme.”
DOTA engineers are working on a similar Hawaiian Islands theme for Lobby 7 and work is expected to begin by the end of the year. The long-range plan is to renovate and redesign Lobbies 4, 5 and 6, also with the “Hawaiian” sense-of-place theme. Renovation work at Lobby 8 also included creating more open area by demolishing old, termite damaged ticket counters and the installation of 46 new, state-of-art ticketing counter positions and informational video displays.
The lobby renovation is a part of the In-line Explosive Detection System (EDS) installation, currently underway at HNL. The $66 million EDS Integration Improvements Project started in July 2010 and is scheduled to be complete in January 2013. It includes 16 in-line explosive detection machines provided by the Transportation Security Administration in Lobbies 4, 5, 7 and 8, four explosive trace detection rooms, construction of a new baggage handling system and the modernization of the existing ticket lobbies.
Other recent improvements at HNL have been completed that give the airport more of a uniquely Hawaiian sense-of-place. These include a decorative Navigational Compass in the Ewa Concourse Breezeway, an audio welcome message that is played throughout the airport in Hawaiian and English every half hour, five new display cases around the airport exhibiting different aspects of the Hawaiian culture, 17 new video displays in the International Arrivals Building that will show scenic videos of Hawaii, 6 paintings by Hilo born artist Kristie Fujiyama Kosmides recently put on display in the International Arrivals Corridor and a roaming band of Hawaiian musicians who perform at the airport regularly.
These changes have benefitted greatly by newly-formed partnerships between DOTA and such organizations as the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and Kamehameha Publishing.
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