Terminal A at Boston’s Logan International Airport was the first major US terminal built after the events of September 11, 2001. As a result, the project integrated state-of-the-art transportation security. The project was also the world’s first LEED Certified airport facility for its sustainable and energy efficient design.
Acentech recommended highly effective sound absorbing finishes in the airline ticketing, TSA security waiting and concourse spaces ensuring that announcements from the public address system would be audible and intelligible. The exterior window system, including an upgraded glazing assembly, helped to minimize the transfer of noise from the aircraft into the passenger waiting areas.
Providing reasonably quiet sound levels from the air handling systems that heat, cool, and ventilate the large spaces within the facility was another challenge. The mechanical systems serving the terminals were very large and potentially noisy. Acentech specified substantial sound attenuators into the design to control this noise from interfering with the passenger comfort and the intelligibility of the public announcements.
Beyond the noise to the interior, there were also concerns with mechanical system noise to the surrounding East Boston community, due to the proximity of the satellite concourse to nearby residential areas. Acentech designed exterior mechanical systems to minimize community noise impact.
