A great design takes flight

Air travel is always stressful, as anyone who's ever been through O'Hare, LaGuardia or Heathrow can attest.

However, our own Dane County Regional Airport (DCRA) is one of the best designed in the country.

As Sharon Wisniewski, DCRA marketing and communications manager, says luck has nothing to do with it: It all comes down to good design.

A solid basic design

Any building is improved if the layout is kept simple.

Our airport is a mix of space that is divided into front of the house and back of the house.

Front of the house areas include ticketing, security, baggage claim, arrival and departure gates, retail shops and food and drink vendors.

It is in these areas that sunlight pours in through windows. A warm palette of muted colors and natural woods adorn the walls and floors, and Wright-style design accents help to give the terminal a distinctively Wisconsin look and feel.

It's a theme carried through to the local products featured in two of the three retail outlets and three of the seven food and beverage purveyors.

It is in these public areas where form follows function -- wide corridors, good sight-lines, natural light and excellent signage make this airport easy to navigate and less stressful than most airports.

Back of the house areas include airline operations like baggage handling and inspection, airline operations and air freight operations.

The baggage handling system includes technology designed post 9/11 to detect explosive devices and other weapons.

The airport's redesign allowed more apron space to be added. The airport's linear design is a nice simple shape that easily accommodates 50 flights in and 50 flights out each day.

Attention to detail

"Good design doesn't cost more" say Sharon. "But it does take more time and attention each day during the planning and design stage of the project."

The airport isn't just attractive, it uses 25 green building techniques including automated systems that sense occupancy and adjusts lighting, heating and cooling according to need.

And 98 percent of the construction debris was recycled and much of the materials used in the new construction are recycled products like carpeting, acoustic tiles, ceiling tiles manufactured from recycled soda bottles.

Floor and wall coverings that won't release gas were utilized to protect passengers with chemical sensitivities.

Good design pays off

The airport receives no county tax subsidy and expansion projects are paid through the airport's revenue.

No privately-owned building would undergo the same intense financial review as the airport. An operating loss would make the headlines, which proves that the airport's careful design pays off in retaining its airline and retail tenants and its reputation for ease of use.

Good design isn't a luxury: it's a financial necessity.

Derrick Van Mell is principal of Van Mell Associates, management consultants specializing in strategic facility decisions. Steve Steinhoff is executive director of the Neighborhood Design Center, helping communities become great places.