Oakland County to build green airport terminal

A green terminal is coming to the Oakland County International Airport.The new terminal will incorporate a number of top-shelf sustainable options, such as wind power generating technology, geothermal and landscaping that uses rain water irrigation. It will also be built with a number of recycled materials.The “green” terminal replaces a building that has been around for nearly 50 years. Materials from the demolished building will be recycled where possible. The new terminal will be smaller than the current building (13,500 square feet versus 17,000 square feet) but the space will be used more efficiently. It will include airport offices, a U.S. Customs Service office and have a private meeting room for up to 80 people.The $5.5 million project is set to begin next spring. Construction should be wrapped up by the summer of 2010. It’s being paid for by Oakland County’s Airport Fund, which consists of money from fees from airport users.Southfield-based Neumann Smith Architecture is designing the building. The firm is aiming for LEED certification with its designs.Oakland International is the 16th busiest airport in the U.S. and the second busiest in Michigan behind Detroit Metropolitan Airport. More than 500,000 people pass through Oakland International annually and more than 800 private and corporate aircraft are based there. Source: Oakland CountyWriter: Jon Zemke