Henderson Engineers, a national building systems design firm, is leading the charge on cementing the new single-terminal Kansas City International Airport (MCI) as a world-class facility. As the lead engineer on the $1.5 billion project, the firm is working closely with project partner Siemens to equip MCI with innovative technology for a cutting-edge experience for both travelers and the facility’s operations team.
Henderson designed the technological infrastructure that enables key features including touchless kiosks, intuitive display systems and video walls, and visual paging boards for passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing – all intended to make it easier and accessible to navigate through the building.
This infrastructure will also support a biometric verification system that will enable travelers to use their faces as boarding passes during check in and boarding for international flights. Henderson is helping with planning and coordinating the installation of biometric equipment to ensure it works smoothly with other technological systems throughout the airport.
Safety is also a key touchpoint. To minimize blind spots at the expansive 1-million-square-foot terminal, Henderson used 3D BIM software to determine the best placement for security cameras. Using a virtual replica of the facility, engineers were able to evaluate what cameras would capture at various terminal locations and make expert recommendations accordingly. Furthermore, Henderson is collaborating with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) throughout the selection and installation process for security systems to ensure the terminal is equipped with state-of-the-art safety technology.
Upon the project’s completion, MCI will be confronted with smoothly transitioning away from its current outdated three-terminal layout to the new single terminal. Since airport operations will need to remain functional during the transition, Henderson collaborated with project partner SITA to design a virtualized IT network that will prevent interruptions to security and other vital systems during the changeover. Overall, Henderson worked closely with the operations group at MCI to ensure the project would be state of the art at opening and have capacity for future growth, technological advancements, and everchanging travel regulations.
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