The $2.15 billion upgrade of Portland International Airport’s main terminal debuted Aug. 14, complete with 400,000 square feet of mass plywood panels provided by Freres Engineered Wood of Lyons.
The innovative wood products firm was responsible for the curvy, wooden roof line that is sure to produce a “wow” factor for airport visitors. The roof piece of the project covers nine acres.
“We are incredibly proud of our contributions to this project,” said Tyler Freres, vice president of sales, in a statement released by the company.
Freres has been working on the terminal upgrade for five years, along with dozens of other Pacific Northwest companies. All of the wood used in the project came from within 300 miles of the airport, said officials from the Port of Portland, which manages the facility.
Visitors can tour the impressive facility and experience firsthand the 18-million-pound roof, designed with 49 skylights and 2,425 mass plywood parapet panels around the perimeter that create its unique curved design. Freres Engineered Wood also provided custom wood envelopes to create visual wood enclosures for the HVAC systems and additional mechanical, electrical, and plumbing materials.
Complementing the eye-popping Douglas fir roof, guests will find a live, urban forest below, as well as a dozen local shops and restaurants.
“From day one, the Port of Portland has demonstrated a commitment to environmental stewardship with their ‘forest-to-frame’ approach to the terminal’s design,” Tyler Freres said. “Nearly 75 percent of the wood fiber used in our MPP was salvaged from the 2020 Labor Day wildfires in Oregon, and 100 percent of the material was sourced from local Oregon fiber.”
Freres executives Rob Freres (president), Tyler Freres, and Kyle Freres (VP of operations) toured the new terminal with other project partners on Aug. 12 to celebrate the opening.
“Mass ply has been a game-changer in the mass timber movement, so we’re beyond excited to see the product play such a significant role in the new PDX terminal,” Tyler Freres said.
Freres also said it was “an honor to work alongside industry partners” such as TimberLab, Hoffman Construction, Skanska, WPI and ZGF Architects.
“And we look forward to future projects together,” he said.
Although the terminal has opened, more work still must be done before project participants wrap up in 2026. The second phase will feature additional retail and dining amenities and exit lanes on the north and south sides of the terminal.
The one million square foot project doubles the capacity of PDX and gives the airport the capacity to welcome 35 million passengers annually by 2045.
The expanded terminal is the largest mass timber project of its kind. Instead of building an entirely new terminal, the Port of Portland and its project managers decided to renovate and expand in place, keeping the airport fully operational throughout the five years of phased construction. The strategy was made possible, in part, by Freres’ prefabricated wood roof that spans the expanded lobby, check-in, and security areas.
An engineering marvel, the mass timber roof is the centerpiece of the expansion. It celebrates Oregon’s history of forest product innovation while showcasing what is possible for the future of mass timber design and sustainable wood sourcing.
The project’s sustainable design sets a new standard for airports worldwide. The main terminal doubles capacity while achieving a 50% reduction in energy use per square foot with a highly efficient, all-electric ground-source heat pump. Resilient design strategies are projected to enable the terminal to withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
A Port of Portland spokeswoman said that the previous terminal, which included multiple buildings patched together, wasn’t designed for how visitors travel post-9/11 with Transportation Security Administration protocols in place.
PDX handled 16.5 million passengers in 2023, and in June 2024, it saw more than 1.6 million travelers, which was up 9% over 2023, the Port of Portland reported. In the peak summer season, the airport handles about 450 flights a day.
