Jackson Hole Airport

Jackson, Wyoming

Service

Architecture

Type

Public + Cultural

Location

Jackson, Wyoming

Photography

Matthew Millman

Over many years, CLB has completed multiple updates and renovations to the Jackson Hole Airport (JAC). As the only US airport situated within a National Park, the structure was designed as an extension of its natural environment. The design facilitates a stress-free travel experience, with open floor plans and clear sight corridors, as well as abundant glazing that frames the airplane runways and Teton Mountain range beyond—orienting travelers to their place within the dramatic Wyoming landscape.

Spacious, modern airport terminal interior at Jackson Hole, featuring an expansive view of a Delta airplane and snow-capped mountains through large windows. The design blends rustic and contemporary elements with a slatted wood ceiling, exposed wooden beams, and polished concrete floors. Travelers are seated on brown benches and modern lounge chairs. A large artwork hangs above a fireplace on a stone wall, complementing the warm ambiance.

Expanding outward from the initial concourse renovation, the most recent work for the Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) includes a new restaurant/bar, expanded holding area, two additional gates, gift shop and updated baggage claim area with snack bar/retail. Following the earlier phase in which the 70s-era post and beam timber structure was demolished and re-envisioned to facilitate the flow of twenty-first century travelers, the renewed spaces and addition complete the terminal redesign. This represents the eighth project that CLB has completed for the JAC with two additional projects underway.

Maximizing the strict developable height and area limits imposed by the National Park, the design choreographs an open-ended, flexible space that offers the complex programming space to breathe and flow. Structural supports are given an elegant and minimal presence, with long-spanning Douglas fir glulam beams, rough-hewn log columns, and lightweight steel. A monumental fireplace anchors the far end of the room, complementing the commissioned artwork, drawing visitors into an airy, welcoming, and highly functional “living room” for the town.

High Traffic

Accommodating upwards of 800,000 travelers annually, interior materials are as rugged and long-wearing as the surrounding mountain slopes. Polished concrete floors lay a utilitarian foundation for the public’s heavy traffic. Warm and tactile timber elements pay homage to the vernacular architecture of the American West, applying it to a distinctly future-oriented purpose.

The NATIONAL PARK SHOP sign in white letters hangs above the open dark entrance. Inside, a brightly lit retail space features a woman and small child browsing, with a man working behind a rustic wooden counter. The shop interior includes a wooden slatted ceiling, displays of park-themed merchandise, and wall-mounted screens showing nature scenes. A toddler walks on the gray carpet, holding a toy deer.

Connecting to Place

Polished concrete benches with leather seats line the glass walls and invite visitors to take in unobstructed views of their unique surroundings. The renewed JAC airport exists as its own hybrid building type – blending ideas of “home” and “travel hub,” and embedding the structure within its natural surroundings.