Portland International Airport (PDX) featured an iconic carpet from the early 1990s to 2015. Situated in Portland, Oregon, the carpet featured geometric shapes on a teal background, representing the intersection of the north and south runways seen by air traffic controllers from the airport's tower at night. The carpet's design proved popular, and is referenced and discussed in other media.
SRG Partnership designed the carpet in 1987, and it was installed throughout Portland International Airport in the early 1990s. In 2013, the Port of Portland announced the carpet's replacement with a new pattern conceptualized by the Portland-based firm Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects. The announcement generated a social media "phenomenon" and gained attention from local and national news outlets. Removal of the original carpet began in January 2015, with the airport recycling worn portions and making remaining pieces available for sale by local retail vendors.
The carpet has been referenced by Portland's NBA basketball team, the Portland Trail Blazers. In 2015, point guard Damian Lillard released his first PDX carpet colorway on the Adidas D Lillard 1 sneaker.[1] In 2016, Lillard released the colorway on the D Lillard 2,[2] also inspired by the carpet. In November 2022, the Trail Blazers introduced their City Edition uniforms. The uniform pays homage to the airport carpet with a sash design that mimics the geometric pattern of the carpet.[3]
In February 2022, it was announced that the iconic carpet would be returning to the airport when renovations to the main terminal are completed in 2024.[4][5]