Sky Harbor is one of the ten busiest airports in the nation, with approximately 90,000 people arriving and departing from Terminal 4 alone each day. The mission of the Airport, along with passenger safety, is maintaining highly functional facilities for airline operators. Food and beverage concessions require an intensive building systems infrastructure that, when shared, impacts the many different operations within the facility.

Prior to the Infrastructure Improvement project, DWL Architects worked with the Airport's Aviation Business & Properties division in developing a comprehensive set of design guidelines for new food and beverage concessions. There are 24 individual spaces, large and small, located throughout Terminal 4 and the concourse gate areas. Many spaces are scheduled for multiple concessions that will provide a variety of options to the public.

The separation and isolation of plumbing, electrical and life safety systems was the primary goal of this Infrastructure Improvement project, while increasing the plumbing and electrical systems capacity of each of the 24 spaces was an important secondary goal. Creating a long-term infrastructure solution allows the Airport to offer more sophisticated concessions. The majority of the design and construction for this project was mechanical, plumbing, electrical and sprinkler systems modification. DWL's responsibilities also included project management, coordination with all stakeholders and construction administration.