Now Boarding: A New Skylife
That “travel” derives from ancient words for torment and agony will surprise no one who’s worked in or journeyed through an airport since 2001. Passengers and the people who serve them improvise heroically to modern travel’s multiple challenges. But in “Fog City,” the skies are clearing.
Renowned the world over for incubating hi-tech innovation, San Francisco’s latest aviation advance represents the future of flying and a rediscovery of bygone sensibilities. True to the city’s character, the newly renovated San Francisco International Airport Terminal 2 (SFO T2) showcases sustainable design, but it also revives a classic concern for the passenger experience and romance of air travel. It is an airport built for people and the planet without compromising on style or functionality.
Elevating the Travel Experience
Designed to reflect the Bay Area’s culture and aesthetic, the newly renovated SFO T2 accommodates 14 gates serving Virgin America and American Airlines. The terminal elevates the passenger experience of flying through design strategies that reduce traveler stress, highlight the airport’s art installations and promote progressive sustainability measures.
With an emphasis on service, hospitality and comfort, SFO T2 features a post-security Recompose area, a meeters-and-greeters lounge, hotel-inspired seating and locally sourced, organic dining options. The first LEED® Gold-certified terminal in the United States, T2 supports SFO’s goals of zero waste, sustainable education and reduced carbon footprint.
De-Stressing Travel in a Pat-Down World
Setting the tone for T2, the groundbreaking Recompose area is distinguished by copious natural light and gracious seating. Here, passengers benefit from a purposeful place to regroup, collect belongings and check their flight status before continuing on to the retail concourse and departures lounge.Because the Bay Area’s cuisine enjoys international acclaim, the region’s food culture is celebrated throughout the terminal. Inspired by San Francisco’s historic Ferry Building, T2’s retail concourse offers a distinctive selection of locally sourced, wholesome foods, including restaurants from celebrity chefs Cat Cora and Tyler Florence. See the SFO T2 Interactive Map. See the SFO T2 Interactive Map.
Commitment to Sustainability
Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, T2 is the nation's first LEED® Gold terminal. The $383 million, 640,000-square-foot facility houses features that should enlighten as they inspire sustainable living.
SFO T2’s design will yield energy savings — 15 percent above California’s stringent building code requirements — that amount to a $170,000 reduction in annual facility costs. Beyond operating efficiently, T2 engages community involvement in its design and programming. The sustainable agenda includes progressive composting and recycling, complete with signage that explains and promotes the program's benefits to airport employees and passengers.
Art + Design
SFO is the first U.S. airport accredited as a museum; and T2’s design highlights unique work by world-renowned artists, each complementing Gensler’s design themes of clouds and flight. Norie Sato’s “Air Over Under” adorns the exterior façade, as Kendall Buster’s “Topograph” welcomes passengers into the main ticketing hall.
In the Recompose area following the security lanes, a draping ceiling sculpture, “Every Beating Second,” by internationally acclaimed Janet Echelman, creates a bright sense of dynamic space and delight. Two children’s play areas in the departures lounge showcase installations by San Francisco artists Walter Kitundu and Charles Sowers. Their interactive artworks provide travelers of all ages a playful oasis, highlighting local wildlife and nature.
Credits
Story
Leah Ray — Gensler Firmwide Media Relations
Images
Bruce Damonte
Nic Lehoux
Additional Information
SFO T2 Website
GenslerOn SFO T2 Blog Posts
“How SFO’s T2 Revolutionized Air Travel” from Gensler’s latest issue of Dialogue