Tenant Design Guidelines part 1: Introduction and General Requirements

1. Purpose of Document 

   1. The following Design Guidelines for Tenant improvements have been established to encourage exciting concession concepts and design identity within the commercial/retail areas of the terminals at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), including Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. They are intended to ensure an orderly and aesthetically coordinated approach to storefront and sign design in keeping with the design objectives of MSP and to ensure that standards for storefronts, interior finishes and signage requirements are understood by Tenants, their contractors and their designers.

      The latest edition of these Tenant Design Guidelines, together with all Lease and lease drawing documentation required by the Landlord comprise the Tenant Package. Tenants are strongly encouraged to become familiar with the intent and details of these documents prior to the commencement of their design and construction, and to become aware of the special characteristics of the terminal buildings and how their architectural elements, finishes, and materials will affect individual concession design solutions. Tenants must comply with the requirements and conditions set forth in the Tenant Package. Should there be any discrepancies between the Tenant Design Guidelines and the Lease, the latter shall govern.

      The Landlord or Landlord’s Representative shall have absolute right of review and approval over all aspects of concession tenant improvements, as well as the discretion to waive any of the design guidelines so long as the concept, quality and character of the project are not significantly affected.

2. How to Use this Document 

   1. Each Tenant must be familiar with the intent, scope and detailed requirements of this guideline before the design process begins. It is the Tenant’s responsibility to visit the site and verify existing conditions, including HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. Each Tenant’s design must be approved by the Landlord before any permits are issued and construction is allowed to begin. Submittal and approval procedures are outlined in the CPIT Procedure Manual.

3. Design Intent
   1. Retail and food and beverage presentation within MSP will require careful consideration to scale, exposure to patrons of all abilities, visibility and circulation patterns. Design merchandising solutions should encourage store identity and product recognition through the emphasis of storefront transparency, creative concession identity graphics, vibrant merchandise display and strong overall retail identity. The application of glass and facade detailing of storefronts must reflect a standard of high environmental quality. Facades and accompanying displays should suggest the independent character of individual retailers and the quality of services and types of merchandise and food that they provide.

       

4. Definitions

   1. The following definitions are used throughout the Tenant Design Guidelines and shall be interpreted as follows:

      1. ADA refers to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
      2. Common Area is the space used by the general public that is designed and maintained by the Landlord.
      3. Concourses are the public circulation zones that lead from the terminals to all airline gates. Currently, there are seven concourses at Terminal 1 referred to as A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, as well as one concourse at Terminal 2 referred to as H.
      4. CPIT is the Concessions Planning and Implementation Team, composed of representatives from across MAC who coordinate and review concession tenant projects.
      5. Demising Walls are common walls that mark the lease lines between independent Concession Tenant-leased areas or other separately designed spaces, including public spaces, service corridors, gatehold, etc.
      6. Landlord is the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) and any of its representatives.
      7. Lease lines (except where noted on plan exhibits) extend from the outermost point of the storefront’s exterior face into the rear of the Concession Tenant’s leased premises and from the centerline of the side demising walls.
      8. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that promotes sustainable, efficient, and healthy building practices.
      9. Storefronts shall be defined as the architectural facades of any Tenant-leased premise perimeter adjacent to public circulation areas of the terminals, including doorways. The storefront will be physically defined by base building elements provided by the Landlord which surround and frame the concession tenant storefront. Elements include neutral piers, the upper fascia/bulkhead, and the floor surface at the lease line.
      10. Sustainability refers to the Sustainable Design and Construction Requirements described in Section 15.
      11. Tenant is the lessee, including all food and retail concessionaires and passenger service operations in the Airport.
      12. Terminal 1 is the central airport building and the hub of Concourses A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
      13. Terminal 2 is a separate building containing Concourse H, located approximately one mile southwest of Terminal 1.
      14. “Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.”  https://universaldesign.ie/

           

5. Landlord Work/Tenant Work 

   1. The following is an overview of responsibilities assumed by the Landlord for design, construction, and improvements to the concession tenant leased premises.

      The Landlord will be responsible for the construction of common areas, concession tenant-leased premise shell and utilities to the lease line, and all pedestrian circulation areas/systems (unless otherwise noted). In some cases, airline tenants will be responsible as agents of MAC, and concession tenants will work both with the Landlord (MAC) and the applicable tenant airlines.

      The Tenant shall promptly notify the Landlord of any structural concerns, unexpected building conditions, or other issues observed during demolition or construction that may affect the integrity or performance of the base building systems.

      Tenant work is described, as it applies to the leased premises, in the various sections of the Tenant Design Guidelines. The Tenant’s design construction materials will be at the sole discretion of the Landlord and will be subject to change in accordance with the Landlord’s determination.

6. Pest Control

   1. See MAC Design and Construction Standards Guide Specification section 10 81 00 for pest control and rodent proofing requirements.

7. Submission Requirements

   1. See current version of CPIT Procedure Manual for submission details. 

8. BIM/CAD Requirements

   1. Tenants must provide: (a) Revit model(s) or AutoCAD drawings, and (b) a .pdf file for all design sheets. Multiple volumes are acceptable.
      1. Revit files of the project design are preferred. If Revit is used, documentation shall adhere to the Deliverables, Software Standards, and Coordinate System requirements noted in the BIM Standards of the MAC Design and Construction Standards (DCS). If these standards are not followed, the Tenant may be required to revise and resubmit.
      2. If Revit was not used for the project design, AutoCAD files are acceptable. If AutoCAD drawings are being delivered, they shall adhere to the following standards. If these standards are not followed, the Tenant may be required to revise and resubmit.
   2. Text: No specialized fonts shall be used in title blocks, annotations, blocks, etc. All fonts used shall be common fonts installed with Windows, preferably Arial.
   3. Origin Point: All AutoCAD files shall have a coordinated 0,0 position with the MAC-provided AutoCAD backgrounds. This is to ensure when MAC receives projects after completion, they can be placed in the existing background files in the correct location.
   4. Workmanship: All drawings shall adhere to the following guidelines. Any drawings not meeting these specifications shall be corrected prior to submission to the Airport Development library. Files must be purged and audited prior to submission to the Airport Development library.
      1. Linear unit precision shall be set to 1/256”.
      2. Angular unit precision shall be set to two decimal places (45.00).
      3. Object snaps shall be used to achieve clean, accurate intersections.
      4. Dimensions shall be set to round off to ¼” on plans and 1/8” on details, unless greater precision is necessary in the dimension text.
      5. All lines shall be drawn true, square and accurate. All corners shall be drawn completely, with all lines intersecting and ending at the corner. All circles, arcs, and curves shall be drawn using specified center point and radius.
      6. Drawings shall not contain multiple copies of objects superimposed upon each other. Construction lines and reference points are to be deleted before delivery if they are not to be part of the final database. Drawing files shall not include unnecessary or extraneous objects outside the drawing boundaries.
      7. Drawings shall be consistent in the use of line weights or thickness, pens and color.
   5. Electronic Deliverables:
      1. Electronic deliverables shall be provided to MAC Airport Development for Construction Documents and Project Record Documents issuance.
      2. Submit Construction Documents (As Bid documents with Addenda) within 1-2 days of issuance. Submit Project Record Documents within 30 days after the final construction contract payment is made.
      3. Base/Background plans to update the campus plans shall consist of floor plan and reflected ceiling plan information, including room name/number symbols and door tags. This is to update the base Key Plans currently maintained in AutoCAD.

          

Accessibility

1. Intent

   1. At MAC, we strive to make MSP the “most accessible airport in the world.” Achieving this means going beyond minimum code requirements to create environments grounded in the principles of Universal Design, where all passengers, employees, volunteers, and guests can participate fully and equitably in the many functions and amenities MSP offers.

      We expect every tenant to design spaces that welcome and empower all people, recognizing the full spectrum of human ability, age, mobility, identity, and sensory/cognitive differences. This includes thoughtful attention to spatial planning, circulation, merchandising strategy, lighting, seating, and service interactions, among other design considerations, to ensure an inclusive experience for all users.

      Our goal is to cultivate concession environments where equitable access is not an accommodation but a fundamental design driver, advancing MAC’s broader vision for world-leading accessibility.

2. Minimum Code Requirements: All projects constructed at MSP must, at a minimum, meet the requirements of the ADA and MN Chapter 1341. 

3. Universal Design: MAC expects concessions concepts to consider and incorporate the definition and seven Principals of Universal Design (Equitable Use, Flexibility in Use, Simple and Intuitive Use, Perceptible Information, Tolerance for Error, Low Physical Effort, Size and Space for Approach and Use). The following guidelines contribute to achieving this goal:

   1. Vertical Merchandising is recommended for both its ability to increase sales and more universal accessibility to products offered.
   2. Accessible seating shall be provided and distributed as described: 10 percent of total, but not less than two of each type of seating provided shall be accessible. This shall include bar, tables, community tables, and other provided seating and gathering types.
   3. Clear space: Aisle widths must be adequate for passengers with baggage or luggage carts and also accommodate people with disabilities, particularly those who use wheelchairs.