Green Build Airport Expansion Opens in San Diego

SAN DIEGO — San Diego International Airport’s Green Build expansion project opened to the public on Aug. 13. Construction on the expansion of the airport’s Terminal 2 began in 2009. The project, which cost approximately $907 million, was completed for $45 million less than anticipated. A combination of airport user fees, airport revenue bonds, airport cash and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants funded the project.

The project’s name stems from the Airport Authority’s commitment to sustainable practices and a healthy environment. The Green Build’s success resulted in 7,000 new jobs for local workers and businesses, including local, small, disadvantaged and minority-owned businesses.

Because of the Airport Authority’s dedication to relying on smaller business outreach, local businesses received over $415 million in contracts for the project. Small businesses received $118 million in contracts.

The scope of the project included constructing a new 25,000-square-foot ticket lobby and expanding a 9,200-square-foot concession stand. The ticket lobby features 32 airline counter check-in locations and several self-service check-in kiosks. The concession stand, known as Sunset Cove, allows passengers to relax in comfort with views of Point Loma. The expansion project was built upon a dormant landfill, decreasing the area of new land being used for the project.

The expansion has several other noteworthy elements of design. The airport now has 10 new gates designed to reduce congestion around the terminals and help provide wider and more comfortable waiting areas for passengers. Within these new areas are seating accommodations with handy cup holders, electrical outlets and USB ports. Expanded dining and shopping areas provide more options for passengers looking for ways to pass the time before their respective flights.

A new two-level roadway was built as well. This was designed to help minimize traffic piling up next to curbs by designating different levels for passengers arriving at and departing from the airport. Along with the increased efficiency of the roadways is an improved check-in system with curbside kiosks. These kiosks allow passengers to print their boarding passes, check their baggage and receive their gate details before even entering the airport’s doors. There are 27 kiosks located throughout the new expansion. Similar to these kiosks are the 32 aforementioned counter check-in locations also available for passengers to use prior to entering the airport.

The airport also has a new security checkpoint that helps speed up the process of moving passengers through to the main gate area. The checkpoint has more security lanes, which helps reduce the length of each line and helps decrease the wait time to get through to the terminal. While the airport previously had six lanes available for peak travel times, this number has now increased to 12.

The airport’s roof was also expanded by 460,000 square feet. Its environmentally friendly design reflects heat and helps reduce artificial air conditioning. The new terrazzo floors, built with recycled materials, are expected to last for many years and help reduce excessive noise generated from luggage wheels.

The U.S. Green Building Council is currently considering the project for LEED certification. While the project team originally designed the expansion to comply with the LEED Silver certification, it may be eligible for LEED Gold. The final decision will be released in mid-2014.