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Portland airport grows with expansive mass timber roof canopy
- osmsucks 2y agoI wonder if they used galvanized square steel and eco-friendly wood veneers.
- FollowingTheDao 2y agoThis encapsulates neoliberal environmentalism perfectly! Lets expand airport which greatly increase CO2 outflows and pretend we are "environmental" by building a roof made of trees. It would do more good to make flying less attractive (more difficult) and unpleasant. Airports should reflect the ugliness of what they do to the environment. It should feel,a and smell, worse than walking into a 70s porn theater.
- stackedinserter 2y agoAs any airport, it's still a horrible place that you can't even leave until you get to your destination. Think of it: the moment you get into your airport of departure, you become a hamster that enters a giant virtual tube that ends at the exit doors at your destination airport. You are not even allowed to go outside and breathe fresh air, like in hi-security prison. A prison with nice wooden ceilings though.
- int_19h 2y agoYou can leave and re-enter just fine, unless you're in an airport in a different country which requires you to have a visa to enter.
- stackedinserter 2y agoBe real.
- tomrod 2y agoThis is a great design!
- h_tbob 2y agoI do not want to criticize anybody. But I think this is a fire hazard and I would not recommend it in a place so close to jet fuel and jet engines.
- sameoldtune 2y agoIf a planes jet engine gets close enough to the roof of the airport to burn this treated lumber, there’s bigger problems afoot.
- adolph 2y agoThe continued existence of airports terminals is weird. Its like a temple devoted to muda. They solve a synchronization problem by cacheing all the inputs for the flight manifest instead of making effort to pull all the inputs just in time.
- sam0x17 2y agofire risk?
- rediguanayum 2y agoGorgeous. Hopefully more airports will adopt similar wood themed, warm environments. Madrid International Airport is similar in tone: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/madrid-airport-interior.html?sortBy=relevant https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/madrid-airport-interior.ht... which I very much like as well.
- vvillena 2y agoThe celining in Madrid airport is gorgeous, but it feels completely disconnected from the actual space below. The end result gives a feel similar to a convention center, where they built a big enclosed space, then fitted an airport terminal into it. Those pictures from the Portland terminal give a sensation of a much better integrated environment. It's the same vibe, but better executed.
- jayski 2y agoI might end up visiting Portland just to see the airport.
- grigri907 2y agoIt really is a pleasant place to be. There is a free theater with ~16 seats that shows 5-minute film shorts. And famously, any restaurant that has a brick and mortar in town can't charge prices higher in the airport. I've often thought it wouldn't be a terrible place to take a date, at least in the pre 9/11 security days when you could access the whole terminal.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 2y agoAirports are starting to bring back the ability to walk around without a ticket! You obviously still have to go through security, but a ticket isn't required.
- vinay427 2y agoThis reminds me of the fairly new Terminal 2 in Bengaluru, covered in (mostly?) bamboo and greenery: https://www.architecturaldigest.in/story/bengalurus-kempegowda-international-airport-t2-is-a-terminal-in-a-garden/ https://www.architecturaldigest.in/story/bengalurus-kempegow...
- darkwizard42 2y agoYes, the new terminal in Bengaluru is BEAUTIFUL! I was amazed walking through it with how lush it was. Really love that look and very fitting for the climate (more or less)
- rajnathani 2y agoI came here to comment the same!
- ryeguy_24 2y agoExactly. First thought in my head. It’s beautiful and so calming.
- quercusa 2y agoPortland has a history of impressive wooden buildings: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/world-largest-log-cabin-portland/ https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/world-largest-log-cabin-por...
- lordofgibbons 2y agoI wish we had more pretty architecture like this in the U.S. Our architecture is so utilitarian/corporate and built at the lowest price and just enough to meet building codes. I get why it is the way it is, but I can still wish.
- astrange 2y agoMuch of the issue is that city planners like it that way. The building codes require it, and when they don't, they'll have design review requirements where the planners will make you change it. There's a common modern look called a 5-over-1 which usually looks like a giant box made out of four different colored Lego sets. The random different colors are forced on them by planners who think it provides "articulation". The giant box look is because of double-stair requirements, which the US thinks provides fire safety but don't, and which force all big residential builds to be hotel-shaped. The PNW actually doesn't have these rules, although the rest of the country hasn't noticed yet.
- Schiendelman 2y agoYou can thank former Seattle CM Sally Clark almost singlehandedly for the articulation bullshit. And a lot of the dumb townhouse rules that made them all identical for a decade. And you know design review was created by an initiative on an off election? 15% of registered voters voted in favor. I think design review could be overturned constitutionally. But few people seem to focus on that issue for long enough to learn how to organize around it.
- bobthepanda 2y agoDesign review has been suspended for three years in downtown Seattle: https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/09/25/seattle-downtown-design-review-bypass/ https://www.theurbanist.org/2024/09/25/seattle-downtown-desi...
- Schiendelman 2y agoYeah, but that just doesn't matter. Downtown Seattle is tiny, and it's an even smaller proportion of the space where we could be building housing across the city. Like 2%.
- UncleOxidant 2y agoWe drove over to PDX a few weeks back not because we had any flights, just to check it out. It's gorgeous - I can't believe I'm saying that about an airport in the US - it's just an amazing space. In addition to the architecture there are huge video walls above the TSA entrance that have calming forest/coastal scenes.
- mofunnyman 2y agoCertainly less miserable to look at inside than it was 20 years ago. Much better than the brutalist hell that is most of Portland.
- staplers 2y agoPDX has ranked at or near the best airport in the country for decades. I imagine you watch a lot of fox news. source: https://www.oregonlive.com/news/g66l-2019/07/a6f7a0d4698366/pdx-named-top-us-airport-for-7th-straight-year-by-travel-leisure-magagzine.html https://www.oregonlive.com/news/g66l-2019/07/a6f7a0d4698366/...
- trallnag 2y agoThe environment certainly cares about whether you watch Fox News or not while polluting the earth flying around in a plane
- hipadev23 2y agoBrutalist hell? It’s a vibrant city interlocked with greenery and flanked by Mt Hood
- astrange 2y agoTo be fair, I've been to Portland maybe 3-4 times including a few weeks ago, and this year was the first time I could actually see any of that because it wasn't raining.
- rootusrootus 2y agoYou should come visit during summer. June, July, August, and September are typically very sunny and dry, it's a wonderful time of year to be in Portland.
- ianburrell 2y agoThere are few Brutalist buildings around PSU. Downtown has a lot of bland fifty year old buildings. But I like them more than the complicated new ones. But downtown also still has a lot of old buildings.
- brailsafe 2y agoIt looks incredible and I'll take the first chance I get to go check it out, but the cynic in me bets that the international arrivals/layover/security check area is still just as dull and depressing as any other in the states. 2 people barely churning through a line of 150 stressed travellers that need to get to their next gate in 45 mins. I'd consider paying a fair bit more if I have it next time to not transit through if I can avoid it, always feels like hell. But that is admittedly very cynical and I'm sorry.
- BeetleB 2y ago> I'd consider paying a fair bit more if I have it next time to not transit through if I can avoid it, always feels like hell. But that is admittedly very cynical and I'm sorry. Surprised no one has pointed this out to you: Get Global Entry (it also comes with TSA Pre). You'll get to go in the fast TSA lines (no taking belt/shoes off). And international arrivals is a breeze. In fact, since I've got it, I've not had to wait in line even once at the immigration. To give you an idea, I flew into Seattle this year. Went into the Global Entry area. Straight to a kiosk (no line at all). The kiosk took my picture, and figured out who I was and that was it. No customs declaration even (which was weird, what if I do have something to declare?). So: No line. Kiosk takes a picture. Never took my passport out to show to anyone. Good to go. In the old days, you'd have the kiosk scan your passport. And it'd ask if you're bringing in over $800 in goods (just yes/no - no need to itemize). But still, no line. I don't know what they charge now, but it was $100 and lasts 5 years. If you live close to the Canadian/Mexican border, consider getting NEXUS, which gives you the fast lane when driving to these countries. It's only $50, and it includes Global Entry and TSA Pre. Fantastic deal. The down side is the interview locations are only near the border.
- brailsafe 2y agoGreat suggestions, and ya I was aware of NEXUS but just haven't got around to it
- trevoragilbert 2y agoI can't speak to international arrivals (though I can to the rest of the airport, it's gorgeous), but while PDX is international it only has 5 direct international flights other than Canada. Hardly going to be the focus of the airport.
- evv 2y agoIf you prefer a video or want to see some of the construction techniques, the B1M recently did a video on Portland's new airport: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRAkjoUdN_I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRAkjoUdN_I Pretty impressive how they pulled it off while minimizing impact on airport operations.
- wrp 2y agoI traveled to Asia for many years out of PDX. Now I have to go through SEA, SFO, or LAX, all of which are a very inferior experience. What happened with PDX? I miss the PDX-NRT run.
- jzymbaluk 2y agoreally cool! I've been interested in mass timber as a building material for a couple of years now, it has a lot of potential as a replacement for steel and concrete, with the benefits of being carbon-negative and completely renewable. The world's tallest "plyscraper" is currently (as of 2022) the Ascent MKE building in Milwaukee Wisconsin at 284 feet tall and 25 stories[1] [1] https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/delivering-mission/apply/worlds-tallest-timber-building-opens https://www.fs.usda.gov/inside-fs/delivering-mission/apply/w...
- UltraSane 2y agoIt took six years to source all the wood needed. Here is an interesting video about its construction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRAkjoUdN_I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRAkjoUdN_I
- internet_points 2y agoLess time than most major building projects tend to get delayed =P
- nxobject 2y agoI was proud to be part of the mock passenger test days! The only time I've ever bought pen-knives through TSA (only to have to pick up a new fake participant script and return.)
- rootusrootus 2y agoI've seen the pictures, and it's amazing. PDX was already considered a pretty decent airport before, I can't wait the renovated terminal in person.
- im_down_w_otp 2y agoI just flew through there and saw the renovation for the first time, and it is an absolutely stunning transformation. Just incredible. I loved it. The whole thing. From the ceiling to the ticketing islands to the reworked security to the amphitheater style seating areas at the terminal exit where friends & family can await your arrival. It feels spacious, natural, functional, and hospitable.
- FollowingTheDao 2y ago> It feels spacious, natural, functional, and hospitable. If we want to solve the climate crisis, this is everything an airport should not be.
- DiggyJohnson 2y agoIs there any room for ornamentation in your view then? I'm afraid that your cause is dead in the water with that perspective.
- FollowingTheDao 2y agoYou know how you feel when you walk into a pron theater? That is how you should feel when you walk into an airport.
- DiggyJohnson 2y agoNo I don't and that sounds miserable. Why would anyone want that experience?
- sojournerc 2y agoHow does a cramped, artificial, non-functional airport solve the climate crisis?
- ddejohn 2y agoMaybe by discouraging air travel? lol I dunno.. silly take
- astrange 2y agoIt is indeed a very nice airport, but I think the secret is they copied Tokyo Haneda, which is just about as woody. (The international part anyway - the domestic terminal is plainer.)
- 9x39 2y agoDefinitely my favorite local airport. It's beautiful and the flow of the airport has been much improved over the last few years, IMO. Highly recommend Screen Door for southern breakfast when stopping through.
- bhouston 2y agoReminds me of the TD Place Stadium wooden facade they build in Ottawa, Canada: https://springvalleycorp.ca/index.php/td-place-stadium/ https://springvalleycorp.ca/index.php/td-place-stadium/ Is similarly curved, has exposed yellow wood, with the same spacious layering construction.
- teruakohatu 2y agoIt looks beautiful. It talks about it being structural. Is it really? It looks more like a suspended ceiling below steel girders. Our largest airport (AKL) is in the process of rebuilding both domestic and international terminals. They are trying for a timber ceiling [1] with rubber floors [1]. It seems a confused design. > A ‘cost-effective’' mix of durable carpeted and rubber flooring was being used inside and tray profile steel on the exterior. [0] It can't be any worse than our current airport. [1] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/companies/airlines/first-look-auckland-airport-reveals-interior-details-of-new-39b-terminal/GAZ5BYANAJC6NGOYUV73X3RDKQ/ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/companies/airlines/first...
- ajross 2y agoIt's the renovated interior of a pre-existing building, so yeah: not structural, at least no more than needed to hold up its own weight. But it really is very nice.
- rootusrootus 2y agoThey renovated the existing structure and expanded it as well, doubling the capacity of the airport. They did a lot of interesting work to make it earthquake proof. Check out the video, I'm pretty sure someone posted it in this discussion.
- stevesearer 2y agoThere does appear to be metal structure, but in this photo you can see the beams between the metal appear to be mass timber: https://design-milk.com/images/2024/12/ZGF-Portland-Airport-5.jpg https://design-milk.com/images/2024/12/ZGF-Portland-Airport-... This has more information about the structure including diagrams: https://www.zgf.com/work/5683-port-of-portland-pdx-airport-main-terminal-expansion https://www.zgf.com/work/5683-port-of-portland-pdx-airport-m...
- directevolve 2y agoIn Portland, we also have the world’s tallest mass timber building, Carbon12. Mass timber is definitely structural here. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon12 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon12
- Extropy_ 2y agoAnyone know why Douglas Fir wood is considered a sustainable building material? A quick Google search says that species takes 50-100 years to mature
- int_19h 2y agoSure, and there are tree farms that have been around for longer than that.
- tills13 2y agoI believe in this case they aren't waiting for it to mature. They use what's called LVL (laminate veneer lumber) which is basically thin sheets of the wood glued together (think plywood but thicker) and then recut into dimensional sizes. The end product is both stronger and straighter than conventional lumber. And because you don't need a large cross section (almost literally any size will do), you can have a pretty short planting -> harvesting cycle.
- rootusrootus 2y agoPDX is not using LVL, they're using glulam. That's 2x4 and 2x6 dimensional lumber glued together. https://www.apawood.org/pdx-gets-back-to-its-roots-with-engineered-wood https://www.apawood.org/pdx-gets-back-to-its-roots-with-engi...
- tills13 2y agoCool -- good info, thank you.
- TheSpiceIsLife 2y agoThat just makes it slightly more expensive than a faster growing timber, most of the cost of timber production is labour, machinery depreciation, transport. Steel is 100% recyclable, indefinitely, and energy source agnostic.
- rootusrootus 2y ago50-70 years is the typical harvest time in Oregon. This works out fine because we have a large amount of forest, douglas fir is the most productive harvested timber by acre, and they do not harvest the whole forest at once. They typically harvest 1 square mile sections at a time. Here are some pictures to give an idea of the logging pattern: https://imgur.com/a/grid-grid-logging-oregon-ewNJL2e https://imgur.com/a/grid-grid-logging-oregon-ewNJL2e
- efitz 2y ago[flagged]
- rootusrootus 2y agoAs far as I can tell, those guys mostly only exist in the fever dreams of online commentators.
- efitz 2y agoExcept when they're firebombing Portland: - https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/news/read.cfm?id=271438 https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/news/read.cfm?id=27143... - https://www.newsweek.com/molotov-cocktail-portland-protester-1529924 https://www.newsweek.com/molotov-cocktail-portland-protester... Oh look, here's a video showing a guy lighting a firebomb and throwing it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMkTfGlM-f0&t=190s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMkTfGlM-f0&t=190s Hmmm, left a bomb behind (guy was caught, extradited and sentenced to 4 years) - https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-portland-crime-6857e62222e4bb187e15ef384e1698a9 https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-portland-crime... Analysis & statistics: - https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/portland-on-fire-the-summer-of-violence https://americafirstpolicy.com/issues/portland-on-fire-the-s... Stop gaslighting. We saw it.
- rootusrootus 2y ago> Stop gaslighting. We saw it. Yeah, you saw Fox News. The people living here continue to be amused at the caricature. During the worst of the 'riots' we were all just living our lives as normal, because that all happened in like two blocks right next to the courthouse. And that was as bad as it ever got. Portland is very boring, very safe [0]. And for better or worse, not nearly as weird as it aspires. It has been getting steadily less weird, sadly. [0] From antifa, at least. Rough homeless camps are not an ideal place to hang out if you don't have to
- seanmcdirmid 2y ago> Stop gaslighting. We saw it. FoxNews recycled video footage of the same dumpster fire every week to give an impression that Portland was burning down in 2020, so a lot of people are skeptical. I’m totally going to trust what someone who was actually in Portland saw over what someone saw on FoxNews or some other right wing media source.
- dcchambers 2y agoWow. Modern architecture doesn't often leave me at a loss for words but that is stunning.
- swayvil 2y agoHow do they dust it?
- tomcam 2y agoEx-Timberwolves
- cozzyd 2y agoI flew into PDX last weekend and was very pleasantly surprised. Now if only they had managed to put the MAX terminal indoors...
- throwaway984393 2y ago[dead]
- 0max 2y agoNatural features and characteristics are becoming in-vogue with airport design. Cebu and Clark in the PH have a similar timber roof design, as did Bangalore Kempegowda when I flew out of it.
- omegaham 2y agoI just flew through there, it's wonderful.
- xrd 2y agoAnd, if you are lucky, you'll be able to hug a llama there. https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/11/03/nx-s1-5173755/therapy-animals-portland-airport-llama-alpaca https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/11/03/nx...
- Animats 2y agoIt looks like someone really liked wood slat room dividers [1]. Or maybe a lobbyist for the wood industry was involved. Wood slat partitions were seen in mid-century modern designs, when rooms became more open plan but some sense of division was needed. They were also used in the 1970s to make small cheap apartments look bigger. Still, it's good to see some US airports looking better. Most of the Asian countries have much nicer airports than the US. [1] https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/wood-slat-partitions-room-dividers https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/wood-slat-partitio...
- bobthepanda 2y agoTimber is basically one of the founding industries of the PNW, so it’s perfectly appropriate and local for PDX to use it.
- seanmcdirmid 2y agoVancouver BC did a huge timber pavilion in Beijing around the 2008 Olympics. It was an interesting experience, I’m not sure what their goal was. I find Chinese airports to be really generic though, yes, they have high metallic ceilings, but they somehow still manage to be drab. Maybe Chengdu can do a bamboo airport or something.
- block_dagger 2y agoLooks nice! Too bad it's at the center of some of the most polluting tech we have - jet travel.
- dexterdog 2y agoAlso too bad it's just interior design and not being used for anything structural.
- alwinaugustin 2y agoThis looks good. Bangalore airport in India also has kind of similar wooden design based on bamboo. check this out - https://youtu.be/epYGptLAaio https://youtu.be/epYGptLAaio
- ryeguy_24 2y agoI was just there and thinking the exact same thing. Looks identical. I am curious to know if the designer is the same.
- swalling 2y agoThe wood is pretty, but as someone who uses this terminal, the key improvement is that they raised the ceiling and significantly increased the amount of natural light. Here's a good photo of what it looked like before: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portland_International_Airport_PDX_check_in_counters_(Quintin_Soloviev).jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portland_Internation... The major functional drawback is that wayfinding for both arrivals and departures is much worse. The overall flow of foot traffic is way more confusing than say, the newer terminals at SFO.
- ciabattabread 2y agoHow much in additional HVAC costs result from having high ceilings though?
- CrazyStat 2y agoPortland has pretty mild weather. Probably not much.
- lurking_swe 2y agosociety should have _some_ nice things, not everything needs to be cost optimized to the extreme with a microscope. :) On the bright side, they used timber for almost all of the construction here which is effectively a “carbon sink”, which is unusual for an airport.
- obelos 2y agoIn addition to the great lighting, the new design also has much improved acoustics. The sound dampening is impressive. I can have conversations without straining to pick up words through the din of echoes, and the ambience has a nice warm sense of quiet.
- Anechoic 2y agoFAA through the National Academies did a research study a few years ago [1] to provide guidance on improving the intelligibility of PA systems and also improving the overall acoustics of airport terminals. The idea is that this guidance would be used for terminal renovations and new construction. It looks like they may have put this to use! (I was on the team but not an author of the final report). https://crp.trb.org/acrpwebresource2/improving-intelligibility-of-airport-terminal-public-address-systems/ https://crp.trb.org/acrpwebresource2/improving-intelligibili...
- davepeck 2y agoBeautiful. And: it’s exciting to see more mass timber construction in the PNW. Closer to home for me is the University of Washington’s Founder’s Hall: https://www.archpaper.com/2022/10/lmn-architects-completes-university-washington-first-mass-timber-building/ https://www.archpaper.com/2022/10/lmn-architects-completes-u...
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y agoThis is the first article I've read about it that doesn't mention the cost. $2.15 billion (yes, with a B).
- kjbreil 2y agoThis is just so fitting for Portland's airport; the entire article and the airport design are quintessentially Portland
- tcmart14 2y agoFlew out of there recently to a trip to Minnesota. I wasn't aware that they were redoing it, but when I walked in, I definitely enjoyed it. It really is a beautiful design.
- sverhagen 2y agoIt is stunning, indeed. Now, I was there a few days after this new area opened, to pick up some family, so I didn't go through the security check, but from a distance that part still looked like the same unwieldy bottleneck with the messy temporary-yet-permanent barrier belts. Some airports have already re-envisioned their security check, Amsterdam/Schiphol looks nice, I hope that's still in the works for Portland, instead of perpetuating this narrowing trap.
- bobthepanda 2y agocorrect, they're redoing a different part of the concourse now, and once it's all done the temporary stuff will go away. that's just what's required to rehab an airport while it is still in active use.
- postmeta 2y agoPlease bring back PDX-NRT or PDX-HND Japan direct flight! and while im begging, with a 787 or nicer plane
- MeteorMarc 2y agoGlulam is new for me, online knew CLT: https://seagatemasstimber.com/what-are-the-key-differences-between-clt-and-glulam/ https://seagatemasstimber.com/what-are-the-key-differences-b...
- awinter-py 2y agoglulam archipelago
- mkj 2y agoThe lessons learned page has some interesting details of the construction process. https://www.zgf.com/ideas/6785-lessons-learned-in-prefabrication-at-pdx-airport https://www.zgf.com/ideas/6785-lessons-learned-in-prefabrica...
- armanhq 2y agoThis feels like a space designed with humans in mind as opposed to a purely transitory space. It's stunning
- morsch 2y agoI agree it looks nice, but dressing up an airport in sustainable materials won't materially change the fact that a flight Boston - NYC (one-way!) blasts through ~0.7t[1] of CO2eq of your yearly budget of 1-3t[2]. It won't change the fact, but I'm sure it'll make it easier to forget or ignore. [1] https://co2.myclimate.org/en/portfolios?calculation_id=7577510 https://co2.myclimate.org/en/portfolios?calculation_id=75775... [2] e.g. https://ieep.eu/publications/carbon-inequality-in-2030-per-capita-consumption-emissions-and-the-1-5c-goal/ https://ieep.eu/publications/carbon-inequality-in-2030-per-c...
- gosub100 2y agothe same people telling me to save on my carbon emission are the ones who are ok with free trade to have stuff made thousands of miles away (in jurisdictions with very lax environmental laws) that could be made right here and employ blue-collar workers. Those container ships arrive full and leave empty. What's the CO2eq of that?
- burkaman 2y agoThose are not the same people.
- ericmcer 2y agoIt is the same people unfortunately. People who want to reduce the global carbon footprint should be rejoicing about tariffs and returning manufacturing to America. The two party system forces people to hold conflicting values though. Both sides have belief systems that are full of inconsistencies.
- ianburrell 2y agoCargo ships are the most efficient form of transport. They use scale of big ships carrying lots of cargo. It takes about the same amount of CO2 to carry container across the Pacific as to truck it across the country. Producing it here or there doesn't make much difference. If anything, it is more efficient to produce in China cause they have higher percent of renewable electricity.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- noisy_boy 2y agoBeautiful. Also, what about fire hazard? Ctrl+F fire had zero matches.
- snakeyjake 2y agoWood burns, but modern suppression systems increase the time to evacuate. Fires don't usually (hell, hardly ever) start with the structure wooden or otherwise, they start with the things inside a structure: wiring, upholstery, drapery, etc. By the time the fire gets large and hot enough to fuel itself on the structure all of the occupants are already dead due to carbon monoxide and/or hydrogen cyanide poisoning, so the flammability of the structure is almost irrelevant to occupants. Even in Type 1 (all concrete) and Type 2 (concrete and steel) structures, burning the structure's contents will kill every occupant the same as a building made wholly or partially from wood. That's why large steel reinforced concrete buildings have self-closing doors, smoke extraction systems, and areas of refuge: the building being on fire won't kill you, the smoke from the burning carpeting and paint will. With the Station Nightclub fire, it started at 11:07pm. The wooden structure was compromised to the point that the roof partially collapsed at 11:57pm. All occupants who had not escaped were dead well before the five-minute mark (11:12) when flames were seen exiting the doors and windows with NIST estimating that anyone still inside the structure 90 seconds after initial ignition was already dead. 50 minutes for the wood to burn, 90 seconds for the stuff inside to burn and kill you. All of that being said, wooden structures are more dangerous to firefighters due to the risk of collapse long into the fire as suppression and/or search and rescue operations are occurring.
- noisy_boy 2y agoI appreciate the detailed answer, exactly the kind I was looking for.
- Etheryte 2y agoNot familiar with the specific wood composite used in this construction, but generally wood composites fare really well in this regard. You can mix fire retardants into the adhesives and they char, which creates a sort of protective layer. They're not fireproof, but they're both hard to get going and they usually burn very slow once they do. Another good property is that they burn predictably, they don't have catastrophic failures, but gradual ones.
- dataengineer56 2y agoDoes Portland airport have the same issues with homeless people as other major US airports?
- quickthrowman 2y agoThere are airports with homeless problems?? It’s impossible to walk to my local airport (MSP), but you can take a train or bus there. I figured most airports were similar, but maybe I’m wrong. Mpls/St Paul has lots of homeless people, but I’ve never seen one at the airport and I’m there at least monthly.
- TulliusCicero 2y agoTons of US cities have issues with large homeless populations, but it being a problem for airports too is news to me.
- dataengineer56 2y agoO'Hare has a real problem, it was alarming to see when I was waiting at the baggage carousel.
- wkat4242 2y agoI thought it said Poland at first lol. But this is nice. I like it. I wonder how well those trees do in such an indoor environment though.