The New LAX Midfield Satellite Concourse South Terminal and the Future of Modular Building Construction

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is currently in the process of transferring multiple sections of the Midfield Satellite Concourse South development from its offsite construction area to the LAX airfield. We said “off-site” because the MSC South project is using a revolutionary, advanced building construction process called Offsite Construction and Relocation or “OCR” – meaning the primary scope on the project was built offsite, complete with framing and drywall, then transported into place before installation. So far, each segment has made the 1.75-mile journey from the offsite construction yard to their final destination. This is done overnight so that any impact on airport operations can be kept to a minimum. As of Wednesday, October 9th, the third of the nine sections was successfully moved to its new, designated location within the Tom Bradley Terminal.

All remaining pre-built segments will continue to be moved into place throughout the rest of the month, where project crews will complete the assembly and continue construction at the site through 2025. The Midfield Satellite Concourse (MSC) South is an extension of MSC North and when completed, will add an additional 150,000 square feet of airfield operations space, including eight new aircraft gates.

The General Contractor for the MSC project, W.E O’Neil has done an amazing job of sourcing local subcontractors, with over 30% of workers being local to the Los Angeles area, including Nevell Group. In total, the project has created 374 local jobs, completing more than 32% of the total project hours, exceeding the 30% target up to this point. Nevell Group’s scope of work, including metal framing, drywall, insulation, fireproofing, plaster, and acoustical ceilings has been done entirely offsite, increasing productivity and reducing Air Side requirement challenges.

“With careful quality control, attention to detail, and close collaboration with our trade partners, LAWA, and W.E. O’Neil, we’re proud that we’ve been able to push the limits of what ‘modular construction’ can look like while elevating the industry in the process,” said Nevell Group Project Executive, Matt Christensen

Media asset credit, courtesy of Los Angeles World Airports.