Something new is brewing at PDX! R&H recently completed a café for Smith Teamaker in the newly renovated Concourse D at Portland International Airport. The thoughtfully crafted space highlights the brand’s retail offerings with custom cabinetry, Corian inserts and counter façade details and an intricate seven-tile inlay patterns that carry across the walls and floors.

Behind the beauty of the space lies a complex buildout. Located directly above a back-of-house baggage loading area, the project required careful coordination with airport operations and port staff. Installing plumbing and electrical meant coring through a unique floor assembly (four inches of concrete, three feet of foam and another six-inch slab) requiring detailed planning, x-ray scanning and precision drilling. Much of this work could only occur when airport activity was at its lowest, leading to a month of split shifts and overnight work so crews could complete below-slab plumbing, electrical and core drilling while minimizing disruption to travelers and airport staff.