"We viewed this new tower as an opportunity to establish a landmark at our airport that would really come to signify SFO to our region and hopefully to travelers around the world." The International Terminal has served as the airport's "public face" since it opened in 2000, he continues. "Knowing that the tower would be situated in the midst of all of these facilities we've been working so hard to renovate, we really wanted something that would not only meet the functional needs of the FAA, but meet our own design aesthetics," Yakel remarks. But SFO wanted its new air traffic control facility to excel on both fronts. airports are strictly utilitarian-focusing on function rather than design. In a similar vein, most control towers at U.S. Although SFO serves more than 50 million passengers annually, it only has about 2,200 acres of developed land, he notes. While many airports prefer to locate their towers far from the terminal areas, the best location for SFO's new tower was "smack in the middle of all the terminals," explains SFO Public Information Officer Doug Yakel, because the airport is so space-constrained. After researching various options, FAA and SFO officials determined that retrofitting the damaged tower would be too expensive and decided to build new.Ī siting study that considered the entire airport property identified Courtyard 2, between terminals 1 and 2, as the ideal location for the new tower. SFO's striking new facility replaces its former tower, which operated atop of Terminal 2 and sustained damages during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that left its structural system not "up to par," explains Costanzo. Finally, the design required approval by the city's Civic Design Commission, and airport personnel are more familiar than FAA engineers with its requirements and preferences." "Additionally, portions of the base building serve as passenger conduits between terminals 1 and 2. "The SFO tower project is unique in that it was being integrated into the existing terminal structure, which the airport owns and maintains," explains Gregor. Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for FAA's Pacific Division, explains that most control towers are stand-alone projects that the FAA designs and supervises but SFO's tower project had unique circumstances that led the agency to agree to a different method. during earthquakes tuned mass damper system to building & reduce movement in cab pedestrian walkways that connect terminals & allow visitors to view tower through glass ceiling seismic system that allows building to sway up to 6 ft. Noteworthy Design Elements: 147-foot glass panel on tower facade color-changing LED light array tallest vertical post-tensioned concrete structure in the U.S. Industry First: FAA allowed airport to design & build the tower Mechanical, Electrical, Civil Designer: AECOM facts&figuresĪssociated Elements: Base building & pedestrian connectorsĬost to Airport: $60 million (design & construction of terminal connectors, tower façade, LED light array)Ĭost to FAA: $80 million (design & construction of tower) This was the first time FAA granted an airport the authority to design and construct an air traffic control tower. Not only is the design of the new tower noteworthy, the process used to create it is significant as well. "We worked hard to make the tower a landmark structure that would be a beacon and an icon for San Francisco for years to come," he explains. "We wanted to make sure it was a tower that was functional for the FAA, and that they can operate effectively for the next generation," says SFO Project Manager Mark Costanzo.Ĭoncurrently, it was important that the structure fit with the architecture of existing airport buildings. At the same time, the tower and base building incorporate sustainability features and cutting-edge seismic technology designed to meet the needs of the airport and FAA well into future.Ĭonstruction of the new tower began in June 2012, and the facility went into service mid-October 2016. Occupying prime real estate between terminals 1 and 2, the tower features nearly 150 vertical feet of glass and an LED light array to provide the iconic look that airport officials desired. At 221 feet tall, the new air traffic control tower at San Francisco International (SFO) was designed to be functional and create a new visual landmark.
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