Tampa International Airport begins installing exterior walls on new 16-gate Airside D terminal

The first precast concrete panels forming the exterior of Tampa International Airport’s (TPA) future 16-gate Airside D terminal are being lifted into position and secured to the building’s structural steel frame.

Construction crews are installing the panels by crane as work progresses on the new terminal, which is scheduled to open to the public in 2029.

While structural steel continues to be erected to create the frame of Airside D, the precast concrete panels are beginning to form the building’s external walls.

The panels are manufactured offsite and transported by truck to TPA, where workers position and secure them to the structural steel framework.

Similar precast concrete components have been used to construct the terminal’s elevator shafts. However, the exterior panels feature a specially textured finish highlighting the stone and sand within the material. The finish is designed to complement the adjacent metal and glass panels, creating a cohesive architectural appearance.

The first phase of installation will see 83 concrete panels placed around the perimeter of Airside D. Additional panels will be installed as construction progresses, alongside glass panels that will form the terminal’s many windows.

Work is also continuing across the construction site on the shuttle guideway connecting Airside D to the Main Terminal, concrete floor installation, roofing, staircases and the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems required to bring the facility into operation.

TPA broke ground on Airside D in December 2024. The design-build team is led by construction company Hensel Phelps, working with architecture and engineering firm HNTB Corporation, in association with Gensler.