Newark Liberty International Airport, Consolidated Rental Car (ConRAC) Facility

Burns leads mechanical, electrical, plumbing and technology design for ConRAC facility.

Facing rising demand for airport car rentals, Newark Liberty International Airport will streamline facility operations and improve customer experience with a new, six-level garage complex — set to open in 2022.

The 2.5-million square feet Consolidated Rental Car (ConRAC) Facility will place 10 separate rental car operations — some previously located hundreds of feet from the nearest AirTran stop — within easy access to a newly constructed airport terminal. The ConRAC facility will improve airport passenger flow while generating maintenance and operational efficiencies for the rental car companies.

Following complete demolition of an existing AirTrain terminal, the 19-acre ConRAC facility frees additional real estate for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to pursue airport development. Rental companies will benefit from shared resources such as:

• 54 in-ground fueling positions,
• 15 car washes,
• 54 compressed air and vacuuming systems, and
• More than 3,300 on-grade parking spaces.

Burns serves as the building services engineer of record as part of a PGAL-led design/build team. Burns delivers construction documents and construction assistance for the following services:

• Mechanical,
• Electrical,
• Plumbing,
• Telecommunications,
• Security
• Fire Alarm, and
• Fire protection Systems.

Unique design components include high-efficiency lighting and bi-polar ionization HVAC systems, advanced stormwater controls, deluge fire protection and 100 electric vehicle charging stations. A radiant flooring system will couple slab heating with condensing boilers for easy snow removal.

Acting as an owner’s representative, Burns also designed the programmatic layout of a 4-MegaWatt rooftop photovoltaic array and will advise the project developer on power interconnection.

Burns has completed more than 200 projects over 25 years for the Port Authority. Previous experience includes Runway 13R-31L reconstruction at JFK International Airport and Terminal 1 construction design and owner representation services at Newark International Airport. Previous ConRAC projects include a 1.5-million square feet facility at Bradley International Airport.