Passengers at Dulles International Airport can find a brief respite from the hubbub of Concourse C and D at Tidewater Landing. Stepping into this restaurant is like walking onto a windswept pier. From the sun-bleached millwork to the soothing mural-size photo of a pier at sunset on the far wall, Tidewater Landing refreshes the weary traveler.

The highlight of this dining experience is the highly artistic bar. While most food-service structures are framed of wood or metal, Tidewater Landing’s bar is framed out of Lexin glass resin clad in river-washed stone suspended in an epoxy matrix and backlit with different hues of blue Neon. All the sensory elements of this seaside experience are the creative brainchild of Stephen Zwick, principal of Ztecture P.C. in Prospect Park, Pa. Frederick, Md.-based restaurant firm The Wilner Companies has hired TMG to build a second Tidewater Landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

In both contracts, TMG played a key role early in the design phase to ensure all field conditions and constructability issues were addressed. "I was surprised how few problems there were during course of construction," noted Zwick. "That’s unusual in an airport project."

As it turns out, TMG cleverly solved several challenges to achieve Zwick’s artistic vision within the restaurant owner’s budget. The TMG project team, which included Joe Matthews, John Warren and Ken Matuszewski, applied creative value engineering techniques by reconfiguring an existing walk-in cooler and HVAC system instead of replacing them with costly new models. The solutions met the project requirements while significantly reducing total expenses.

"We were able to preserve the architecture and ensure economic feasibility by pecking away at means and methods of construction," explained Matthews. "We also put a lot of painstaking energy into shop drawings for the bar to minimize any surprises during construction."

Key to the project’s success were TMG’s excellent subcontractors, particularly Manassas, Va.-based Art Creations, which constructed the bar, booths, seating, table tops, wall trim and artistic ceiling grid. McClary Tile of Alexandria, Va., installed the mosaic tile. Jett Mechanical and RCD Electric were instrumental in keeping the project on task.

The TMG project team also spent many untold hours moving the restaurant to completion. The tight project schedule required the TMG crew to go above and beyond the call of duty to meet deadlines. "We put in a lot of overtime and night work to finish this project in a very short amount of time," noted Project Manager John Warren. "Ken Matuszewski especially put a lot of time into this project."

The end result reflects TMG’s commitment to excellence. From the neon backlit bar to the soothing shoreline color palette painted by Delta Painting to the large window that streams light into an otherwise drab concourse, Tidewater Landing is an artistic and construction success story.

"There’s nothing more rewarding than to construct good architecture. We are pleased to have had the opportunity to bring Stephen Zwick’s vision to life," said Matthews. "And we wish owner Steven Wilner great success with his restaurants."