Prince George Airport Expansion – Phase I and II

As the main gateway into northern British Columbia, Prince George Airport reflects the strong civic identity of the local community. The building’s design provides generous warm and welcoming spaces, showcasing the region’s forestry industry with thoughtful use of exposed wood in the departure lounge and arrivals areas. The three-phased expansion provides a tranquil interface between the fast-paced travelling public and the more mechanical nature of airport operations.

With its wide-ranging use of local wood species, the airport demonstrates how a high-traffic building can benefit from the resilience, versatility, and thermal characteristics of wood. The airport’s primary structure features unfussy Douglas-fir glue-laminated timber (glulam) post and beam architecture, and was the second project in North America to use clear glue in the glulam.

512 steel castings are used across the project to float the roof structure over the tapered cantilever timber beams, as well as to point support the tall glass walls off elliptical timber columns. Careful detailing tucks away wood-to-metal connections to celebrate expansive views out over the natural landscape, with abundant natural light enhancing the wood’s warmth. The details combine tight-fit stainless-steel pins and very early use of self-tapping screws within the joints, which were fabricated using BC’s first Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine.