The LEED Platinum certified (2014) Appleton International Airport in Appleton, WI serves Northeast Wisconsin with flights to destinations around the world. In February 2018, Appleton International Airport (ATW) completed a multi-million dollar renovation and reconstruction of 50,000 square feet of its commercial passenger terminal. The goal was to improve customer experience.

“The new terminal’s architectural design was driven by a recently completed sustainability master plan Mead & Hunt developed for the airport as part of an FAA pilot program. The plan outlines design solutions for meeting the airport’s record passenger growth while defining and meeting carbon emissions goals. By increasing the use of renewable energy and other sustainability measures, ATW hopes to be carbon neutral by 2030—a goal achieved by very few airports.” ~ Airport Improvement, 2019

Mead & Hunt created the award-winning building and designed beyond the LEED Platinum Certification earning and designing an energy-efficient building to exceed 70 percent of the current building code requirements.

“Sustainable elements featured in its design are geothermal heating and cooling, photovoltaic panels, optimized building envelop design, natural ventilation, natural daylighting, occupancy sensors, thermal mass and a water reclamation and recycling program. In addition, regional building materials are used throughout the design to evoke a timeless, aesthetic appeal.” ~ Mead & Hunt

The Appleton International Airport project included expansion and enhancement of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint. The new checkpoint features a three-sided, 276-square-foot green wall installed with the LiveWall® Indoor Living Wall System.

LiveWall® Indoor Living Wall Brings Beauty and Calm to the TSA Checkpoint at ATW

Completed in August 2018, the living wall at ATW covers three sides of a structural wall, plus a wrapped corner. The section facing the TSA checkpoint is 10’-8” x 8’-3 3/8.” The wrapped corner section is 6’-8” x 10’-11 3/8.” The section facing toward the gates is 10’-8” x 10’-11 3/8”. In total, the wall includes 148 forest green LiveWall modular planter boxes, which are high-impact, UV-resistant, architectural quality moldings.

They contain re-usable inserts that hold the growing medium and contain a mix of five different indoor plant varieties. The Appleton International Airport living wall plant palette includes Chlorophytum comosum ‘Reverse’ (spider plant), Epipremnum ‘Hawaii’ and Epipremnum ‘Neon’ (pothos selections), Guzmania lingulata (bromeliad), and Philodendron ‘Likety Split’, which has been replaced with Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen).

The living wall is situated at the end of the security lines in the “composure area” (where passengers can sit, put their shoes back on, and gather their belongings). As a green feature, the wall has a natural, biophilic calming effect. It signals to departing passengers that they can leave the stress of security behind them, relax, and look forward to their trip. The side of the wall facing the gates, paired with the adjacent video wall, welcomes arriving passengers.

Visibility / Access

Visible from the main terminal, the Appleton International Airport  Living Wall is accessible to ticketed passengers, transportation security officers (TSOs), and airport and airline employees.

“We set out to make ATW’s TSA checkpoint the most visually appealing and pleasant in the U.S.,” said Patrick Tracey, marketing manager, Appleton International Airport (ATW). “The living wall is one of the critical architectural elements in realizing this goal.”

Mead & Hunt’s design opened up and maximized the space in the security area and established dedicated lanes for entering the security lines from the terminal and exiting to the terminal from the gates. Added glazing, both at the exterior and for interior partitions, allows borrowed light to brighten the area. “The living wall complements these measures to calm and de-stress the checkpoint,” said Mitchell Walker, designer, aviation architecture, Mead & Hunt.

ATW has transformed its TSA checkpoint into more open, brighter, pleasing, and calming space. “Travelers are delighted with the wall,” said Tracey. “We see passengers taking selfies in front of the wall after they go through security. Their positive experience of the living wall makes for a memory they want to save and share on social media.”

Formerly the Outagamie County Regional Airport, its name was changed to Appleton International Airport (ATW) in 2015. Awards include the United States Green Building Council Wisconsin Chapter Award of Excellence for New Construction; American Council of Engineering Companies of Wisconsin Engineering Excellence Grand Award 2014; and The Wisconsin Daily Reporter Top Projects of 2013.