“We are producing quite a large building and we're producing a very open building,” says Uzoamaka N. Okoye, the chief of staff at NTO, responsible for overseeing environmental, social and governance efforts on the project. “You get down to putting all of those things in the mix and coming up with what will work for the space of the building for our emissions requirements—and then a third piece, which is always cost.” 

Installing a heating and cooling system in the terminal floors was the best way to balance architectural designs with the practicalities of keeping people comfortable, says Michelle DeCarlo, a principal with JB&B, a Trinity Consultants team. The firm has been part of the AECOM Tishman and Gensler joint-venture since the partnership was contracted in 2021. Staff knew  early on that the designers were aiming for three-story ceilings and lots of glass, comprising the windows and the skylights flanking the roof spine.  

Overhead forced-air outlets aren’t compatible with areas offering expanses of daylight. Even if the equipment could be installed, it would have to compensate for the distance from the extra-high ceiling down to staff and travelers. Instead, the JB&B team made space for conditioning equipment in a place that wouldn’t have to use as much power to reach its target. The firm landed on a similar solution for the Moynihan Train Hall, another transit hub with lots of glass that was best served by a radiant system. 

Making room in the floor involved extra coordination with other contractors to make sure slab depressions were deep enough to accommodate the pipes and insulation where they were laid. Anywhere between five and nine extra inches had to become part of preparation so that the final concrete floors making up the long terminal walkways were flat and free of ramps or steps. Fitting the tubing into a continuous floor meant working with architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and IT teams, since conduits for power and security systems also went under the surface, says Tyler Lista, an associate with JB&B. 

Typically, tubing for radiant heating and cooling is installed manually. “If you’ve ever played with one of those nail boards where you can tie string around it, that's more or less what they do in a small installation,” Lista says. JB&B sped up the process with tubing mats. GF Building Flow Solutions, the manufacturer, pre-engineers the straights and bends into rectangles as long as 187 feet. Crews drop and unroll each mat like a carpet, adding foam staples to pin the tubing down. The JB&B team strategized in advance to fit as many long and straight segments into the floorplan as possible. Only at curves and corners did workers have to lay tubing by hand.

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PJ Mechanical, the installation contractor for the radiant system, had six to 10 crew members rolling out the mats in work areas between 6,00 and 12,000 square feet. Because the size and scale of the project is so different to other radiant systems PJ Mechanical has installed, the firm wasn’t comfortable estimating how much time the mat-based approach saved compared to hand installations.

The tubes also came pre-pressurized, so crews would know that there was a leak if there was a drop in measured pressure. Several hours of pressure testing once the mats were unrolled confirmed there weren’t any issues. If a damaged segment were accidentally installed, it would be tough to fix as poured concrete seals the tubing into place. “Once it's in the concrete, it's not going to move. It's part of the structure of the building at that point,” DeCarlo says. 

Design choices might have informed the radiant heating and cooling system, but city legislation shaped other parts of the new terminal’s energy plans. The site has to comply with Local Laws 92 and 94, which require some new buildings to have greenery or solar installed on their roofs, as well as Local Law 97, which expects large buildings to incrementally reduce their emissions until reaching net zero by 2050. Since the new terminal is designed to be useful at least until 2060, these policies apply, says Andrew Jerome, a project director with the Cumming Group, which is serving as the MEP project manager for the NTO.

The local laws are part of why NTO will have a microgrid. The rooftop solar array, the largest of its kind in New York City, will be capable of making up to 7.7 MW of power and will be accompanied by six 460-kWh fuel cells. Designed, built and operated by contractor AlphaStruxure, the power infrastructure can cover up to half of daily operations at the terminal. Heat radiating off the fuel cells will also be put to use warming up and cooling down water for the radiant system, Jerome says. Elsewhere, a 260,000-gallon cistern will collect about 50% of roof runoff to use for flushing and for watering outdoor plants. All the radiant flooring and roof-related electric and water equipment has been installed, Jerome says, and is entering testing and commissioning phases.

Electric Airfield 

Sustainability plans extend to the tarmac. Per the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the ground support equipment had to be all-electric, as the agency is working towards net-zero emissions from this type of transportation at all of its airports by 2030. The transition was managed in part by changing how ground crews operate. In airports, vendors ferrying bags, catering, fuel and more typically do so with their own vehicles. The terminal will instead be pooling the electric equipment—one vendor will supply shared gear, the first time an airport will be doing this with an all-electric fleet, Okoye says. 

Building out some of the more unusual power features of the airport required flexibility. Batteries were originally supposed to be part of the microgrid, but were removed because it got too challenging to figure out fire safety. The project team had also designed a charger network for the ground support services. But after TCR Group, the contractor providing the ground support equipment, looked at factors like flight volume and timing, the terminal upped the number and power output of chargers, Okoye says. There will now be 38 charging stations when the first phase of the terminal opens, with Level 3 vehicle chargers and 100-200KW models in the mix.   

Changing plans and trying to balance site goals with requirements means not every request for NTO can be met. When the first phase of the project opens later this year, the headhouse holding all security and check-in facilities will be completed along with one concourse. Another 800,00 sq ft will still have to be built, and Okoye has already heard inquiries about finding more room for features like office space. And though the ground support system will expand to serve the runways opening in 2030, part of why the terminal will have a contractor with global operations is so that the pooled stock can get replaced quickly, Okoye says. “Space is—it’s a New York thing, right? It’s super valuable.”