The OWADP was fortunate to have a wonderful tour on the landside of the San Francisco Airport Terminal 1 on Friday, March 31, 2023. This tour was arranged by our own Nazila Duran, an Airport Project Manager for Parsons. Her team specifically provides support to various airports under renovation. The teams needed to manage these multi-billion-dollar projects must be able to juggle intense schedules and major timelines.
SFO Terminal Timeline
The tour was facilitated by Farrah Young and Trudi Homer, both employees of San Francisco Airport. Farrah Young began. She noted that for SFO Terminal 1, planning was initiated in 2013 and the visioning began in 2014. Ten years and $2.4 billion dollars later, the terminal is open and welcoming travelers. Whew. We travelers pay this cost, by the way.
Farrah continued by showing us the state-of-the-art view glass, wayfinding graphics, sustainable materials, softer carpet and quieter acoustics. All part of the landside of Terminal 1. Some of the new aspects for Terminal 1 include the ability to visually see thru the check-in side past the secure side and out thru the windows to the runway itself. The next time you are at an airport, see if you can look thru the airport to the planes. Another aspect is the 2% local art requirement which has resulted in many powerful art pieces being installed throughout the Airport.
SFO New Nerve Center
After walking through Terminal 1 our group took a long walk to the new C3 – C Office building under construction between Courtyard 3 and Terminal 3. It is a design-build venture with HOK and Hensel-Phelps. This building will be the nerve center of the Airport, housing both the 911 emergency call center, and the administrative offices for the Airport. The upper floors include amazing views to the hills of South San Francisco as well as the runways and the Bay. Construction is underway but the acoustics are already amazingly quiet. The intensity of the airport is just outside the windows. It’s hard to imagine how the employees will be able to concentrate day in and day out. The luxury of the offices around them may override the concern, however.
Facts & Figures *
Terminal: Harvey Milk Terminal 1
Cost: $2.4 billion
Funding: $64.2 million from TSA for baggage handling system; $2.34 billion General Airport Revenue Bonds
Major Projects: Terminal 1 Center; Boarding Area B
Timeline: 1st 9 gates, new consolidated TSA checkpoint & parts of Terminal 1 Center opened in July 2019; 9 more gates & south check-in lobby opened in May 2020; entire project expected to end in 2023
Boarding Area B
Size: 617,700 sq. ft. on 3 levels including MARS (multiple aircraft ramp system) stands
New Gates: 25 (including 4 int’l swing gates)
Amenities: 2 airline lounges, 1 common-use lounge; 19 food/beverage spaces, 14 retail spaces; SFO Museum exhibits; Children’s Play Area; Pet Relief Room; 13 site-specific art commissions
Design-builder: Austin Commercial & Webcor Builders Joint Venture HKS/WoodsBagot/ED2 International/KYA
*Facts and Figures: Jodi Richards, Airport Improvement Magazine, July 2020.