PGAL Earns ENR Award of Merit for Groundbreaking Modular Delivery of DFW High C Gates

PGAL served as the lead design firm for DFW Airport’s Terminal C High C Gates, the nation’s first airport terminal to use large-scale modular construction. The groundbreaking project introduced a new approach to terminal delivery, replacing DFW’s aging High C Gates with a new two-level, 80,000-square-foot concourse while navigating the complex operational demands of one of the world’s busiest airports.

That achievement earned the project an Award of Merit in the Airport/Transit category as part of Engineering News-Record Texas & Louisiana’s 2022 Best Projects competition. The annual program recognizes projects for their response to challenges, safety, innovation, contribution to the construction industry and community, and overall design quality and craftsmanship. High C Gates was selected from a field of 94 projects submitted across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Delivered through progressive design-build, the project team took an unconventional approach to replacing the existing concourse. Rather than constructing the new terminal entirely in place, large-scale modules were fabricated offsite in a controlled environment while demolition, grading, foundations, and underground utility work progressed simultaneously at Terminal C.

Once complete with exterior metal panels and glazing, the modules made the approximately 1.5-mile journey across the active airfield using self-propelled modular transporters. The carefully coordinated moves took place over a three-week period, carrying the massive structures across runways, beneath DFW’s Skylink automated people mover, and between existing columns before each module was raised and set into its final position.

The parallel construction strategy delivered significant schedule advantages. According to ENR, the modular approach allowed the concourse to be turned over 22 percent faster than traditional construction methods, with work completed on budget and ahead of schedule.

As a first-of-its-kind application of modular construction in an airport environment, the project team had no established best practices to follow. Design-assist packages for structural steel, glazing, and metal panels helped the team resolve tolerances and coordinate the fully clad modules for fabrication, transportation, and final installation.

The project’s success demonstrated the potential of large-scale modular construction to address some of aviation’s most complex delivery challenges. By shifting substantial portions of construction away from the active terminal environment, the team created opportunities to advance work concurrently while maintaining a strong focus on quality, safety, and airport operations.

Members of the project team formally accepted the Award of Merit at the ENR Texas & Louisiana Best Projects Awards Luncheon in Houston. The recognized team included Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as owner, PGAL as lead design firm, The Walsh Group as design-builder, Henderson Rogers Structural Engineers, MEPCE, and Mammoet USA South.

More than an award-winning concourse, High C Gates established a new precedent for modular airport design and construction in the United States, proving that an ambitious idea could become a practical strategy for delivering major aviation infrastructure faster and more efficiently.