W.E. O’Neil leverages offsite construction on $1.4B LAX concourse project

The $1.4 billion Midfield Satellite Concourse South project at the Los Angeles International Airport is being built with a unique offsite construction technique. Chicago-based W.E. O’Neil is the contractor for the new two-story, eight-gate complex, which broke ground on June 28.

The expansion entails adding eight new gates in an accelerated timeline at Terminal B, airport authority Los Angeles World Airports said in a news release. It is the latest part of LAX’s $15 billion capital improvement program, and will bolster capacity in advance of the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.

The project employs an offsite construction and relocation method that has only been used once before on a U.S. airfield, according to W.E. O’Neil. The concourse will be built in nine segments more than a mile away from the project site, then delivered and assembled on site.

This method saves money and time while allowing a high degree of building control and supervision, according to LAWA, and enables greater flexibility without significantly impacting airport operations.

Modern aesthetic

Designed by Sydney-headquartered architecture firm Woods Bagot, the concourse pays homage to Los Angeles, with elements of the design — such as its aluminum sunshades — influenced by notable modernist homes in the area, according to the authority.

MSC South’s interior is designed to feel more like a domestic space than a traditional airport concourse, while its shading system will keep it cool and conserve energy, helping the project achieve its LEED-Silver accreditation goal.

“MSC South is original in both the way it is being constructed and in its overall design, which celebrates our transformation while paying tribute to the architectural legacy of our airport,” said LAWA CEO Justin Erbacci in the release.

The concourse is scheduled for completion in 2025. Other upgrades underway at LAX include:

$4.9 billion automated people mover train system, set to open next year.
$2.3 billion updates of terminals 2 and 3, which is almost complete.
$1.6 billion modernization of terminals 4 and 5, scheduled to wrap in 2027.
$490 million construction of terminal vertical cores — essentially new front doors to terminals — which are partly complete.
$230 million overhaul of Terminal 6, set to finish this year.
$157.8 million construction of power receiving station X, scheduled to be operational in 2025.