San Francisco International Airport is one year away from transforming Terminal 2 into a sustainable, state-of-the-art terminal, airport officials announced today.
Terminal 2 has been under construction since August 2008 and isn’t expected to reopen until next spring, but the project manager for the $383 million renovation said everything has gone as planned.
“There has been no effect on businesses or airport procedures,” Ray Quesada said during a media tour of the construction site this afternoon.
He said the project is actually taking shorter than usual because it is being done as a design-build, which means demolition of the site began while the design was still happening.
The renovation will make the terminal the first LEED certified terminal at SFO, airport spokesman Mike McCarron said.
The airport plans to eventually remodel Terminal 1, but McCarron said he doesn’t expect Terminal 3 will be renovated because it’s the newest terminal and has already been modified several times.
The new Terminal 2, consisting of 587,000 square feet, will serve Virgin America and American Airlines. There will be 14 gates, eight passenger security lanes, up to 26 ticketing positions per ticketing lobby, E-ticket kiosks and curbside check-in counters.
The terminal boasts a sustainable effort as well, including that 93 percent of the construction debris–or 15,100 tons–was recycled and diverted from a landfill, according to airport officials.
A reduction in energy and water use will also be part of the new terminal, saving an estimated 1,667 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year, airport officials said.
Senior designer for the terminal, Melissa Mizell, said the terminal is being designed to combine high performance with passenger delight.
“It’s a place for passengers and workers to come through every day,” she said, adding that there will be education signage throughout the terminal regarding water bottle use and other energy-saving techniques.
A food marketplace will offer locally grown and produced food, and club-like seating in the waiting areas, hydrations stations for filling water bottles and a retail street will be implemented as well.
Terminal 2 was originally constructed in 1954 and was renovated in 1984. It housed SFO’s international flights until 2000, when it was replaced with the airport’s new International Terminal.
