Asheville Regional Airport has been one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States over the past seven years, and its 62-year-old air traffic control tower wasn’t built for what the region has become. As part of the airport’s $400 million AVL Forward expansion initiative, Kokolakis assisted with the design and construction of its replacement: an FAA-compliant Air Traffic Control Tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility capable of supporting the airport’s next chapter.
The new standalone tower rises 96 feet and features an eight-sided cab with full 360-degree visibility, resolving the line-of-sight limitations that had plagued the original structure for decades. The adjacent TRACON building houses radar approach control operations, administrative areas, and mission-critical building systems; it is connected to the tower through an enclosed corridor. The immense operational campus was built to FAA standards and designed to serve western North Carolina for generations.
This project presented challenges related to both construction and sequencing. The new ATCT and TRACON had to be designed, built, and commissioned within a stringent timeframe so the broader terminal redevelopment could proceed on schedule. Working in a live airport environment with active FAA coordination, Kokolakis kept the project moving through unforeseen site conditions, complex utility conflicts, and rigorous commissioning requirements — handing over a facility that was fully operational and ready for FAA turnover.
