Visitors to the Nashville International Airport are soon in for a major overhaul — and now Nashvillians can see what’s in store.

Leaders of the Nashville International Airport unveiled on Friday the first glimpses into a planned $1.2 billion expansion and face lift that will dramatically change the entrance and overall experience at the facility.

The five-year “BNA Vision” overhaul, announced in July 2016 and already underway, will be anchored by a revamped terminal and plaza. It includes a central entrance with natural light and a spacious look that plays off the themes and shape of an acoustic guitar.

The flow and design, which architects say was also inspired by the city's parks and green spaces, make for a similar feel to Nashville’s Music City Center.

Plans also call for a new on-site, 288-room hotel; a six-story parking garage with 2,000 spaces, tripling the amount of short-term parking; an expansion of the airport’s concourse D with new retail; a new office building; a new facility for international travelers; and a relocated Donelson Pike further away from the airport.

► More:Nashville airport plans $1.2B overhaul, including new hotel

“As opposed to concepts that we originally launched, we can now show the public, the community, the real look and feel of BNA,” said Tom Jurkovich, vice president of strategic communications for the airport. “So, ‘BNA Vision’ comes alive for us now.”

Airport officials joined with Barry to formally unveil the designs at a public event at Music City Center on Friday. They’ve also created a virtual reality and 3D modeling view that gives people a chance to tour the upgrades by maneuvering their phone.

The Dallas-based architecture firm Corgan worked over the past year to complete the final deigns.

"We have a great airport now, but we're going to have an even better airport," Barry said. "When people come to our great city as visitors it sets that experience right away."

Barry said she wants the airport to be connected to the proposed mass transit expansion, which voters will decide on next year. The initial plans call for a light rail line to the airport.

Billion-dollar project comes amid Nashville airport's rapid growth

The massive overhaul is in response to the airport’s breakneck growth. Buoyed by Nashville’s population boom and rise in tourism, annual passengers increased in 2016 by 11.2 percent to 13.5 million passengers, making it the fastest-growing airport of its size in the nation.

“Our city is booming and the new BNA design will reflect the best of Music City, taking our travel opportunities to new heights,” country music star Dierks Bentley, Nashville Airport Authority board member, says in a video unveiling the airport’s designs.

Ross Payton, a principal of Corgan, said the expanded Concourse D — which is currently is only rarely used — will allow for additional aircraft gates.

Plans call for a doubling of security lanes — an increase by 14 lanes to limit long lines — and additional ticketing counters at the North and South ends of the terminal building.

“Nashville has a warm and welcoming charm, and we wanted to maintain that feel throughout the terminal, so we drew upon local inspiration to inform and guide the new design,” Payton said, adding that the designs seeks to “blur the line between indoor and outdoor.”

New international arrivals center to complement new London flight

The first-of-its-kind on-site hotel, carrying a $130 million price tag, will be situated near the front entrance of the airport near the parking areas. The airport authority earlier this year issued a request for proposals from potential hotel companies to run the hotel. A final decision is expected in December.

Robert Ramsey, chief engineer and vice president of development and engineering, said the airport authority would retain ownership of the hotel after a hotel company is contracted.

More:Nashville to London flight to strengthen economic ties

More:Nashville to London flight results from regional, business collaboration

The new international arrivals center comes after Nashville recently landed a nonstop flight to London via a new British Airways connection beginning in May. To accommodate British Airways prior to the new facility’s opening, the airport is also overseeing interim upgrades to the existing international travelers area.

"We think the London flight will open up a global market," Ramsey said.

David Lind, chairman of Corgan's board, called the idea of "connection" the most compelling design theme that came out of the "BNA Vision" designs process.

"And by this, we mean the airport is the critical transportation to the region, connecting the community, connecting the city and connecting it to the world around us," he said.

Phase one of the five-phase project began earlier this year with construction of a parking and transportation center.

The airport authority’s board of commissioners is paying for the project almost entirely from bonds that it will issue. Airport officials are stressing that no local tax dollars will be used.

So far, around $90 million toward the overhaul has already been awarded through contracts with another $80 million on tap for over the next six months. The project is expected to be finished in 2023.

Nate Rau contributed to this story. Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236, jgarrison@tennessean.com and on Twitter @joeygarrison.