LIGHTING/New design lights up LAX, improves look

Air travelers in Los Angeles will soon have a better impression of the city, at least when approaching the airport. Los Angeles World Airport (LAX) is currently undergoing a facelift that will enhance the lighting, signage and overall environment around the terminals.

The airport has not been upgraded since the city prepared for the 1984 Summer Olympics. In anticipation of the Democratic National Convention to be held in Los Angeles this summer, the city is working to make trips to and from LAX more comfortable, convenient and attractive.

“We have 60 million passengers come through Los Angeles each year,” says Kim Day, deputy executive director for Los Angeles World Airports. “A well-manicured and well-maintained airport is a good reflection on the city.”

As part of the enhancement project, the city is working with local firm Moody Ravitz Hollingsworth Lighting Design to create new lighting. The work starts at Century Boulevard and extends to the terminal area.

Lighting design includes glass pylons that vary in height from 30 to 110 feet, and in diameter from 6 to 12 feet. The lamps inside the structures are metal halide; the largest pylons hold 32 lights.

The lighting inside the glass pylons will vary in color, projecting different hues along the route to the airport. The lighting displays are controlled from the airport, and crews are laying almost a mile of fiber optics along the airport route to connect the lighting management system to each structure.

The city had to account for several special factors — including traffic, earthquakes and water — with relation to the lighting. The pylons’ glass had to be constructed so that it would not shatter at tall heights and in extreme conditions, and it had to be able to withstand wind and saltwater. Each piece of glass also is covered with a safety film that will help to keep it clean and to diffuse the light to prevent glare at night.

As part of the upgrade, Los Angeles-based Ted Tokio Tanaka Architects is designing landscaping to be installed around the pylon bases. Most of the landscaping will be done along Century Boulevard and on the approach to the terminals. The city also is looking to incorporate artwork around the area.

Lighting work began last October and is expected to be completed by the end of July, along with the landscaping and directional signage. Any additional work will be halted until after the Democratic convention.