Plan B: Designs for new terminal take flight
Construction for new airport terminal to begin next spring
Sacramento Business Journal - by Carol Terracina Hartman Correspondent
Having celebrated its 40th anniversary in October, Sacramento International Airport is perhaps entering its midlife crisis.
For the airport, that means it's time for a makeover. And it's going to be extreme.
The design for the Terminal Modernization Program adds 680,000 square feet of buildings to the airport -- essentially adding buildings at the center of the existing airport along with ancillary projects such as parking and a hotel. The plan has been under discussion since 2002 and a master plan was adopted in 2004. Officials say the project is needed because of an ever-increasing passenger volume.
"The concept is that the existing facilities limit the movement of passengers in and out," said Brent Kelley, principal architect at Corgan Associates Inc., one of the lead design firms.
The bigger terminal is much needed: SMF averages 4 percent annual growth.
"When it first opened, the estimates were 1 million per year at peak. And people looked at you like you were crazy," Kelley said. In 2006 the passenger volume hit 10.2 million. "Now, we're to the point of about 1 million a month."
SMF is one of the oldest "origination and destination" airports in the country, said John Mares, a Corgan architect. This means that while some airports, such as Denver International, are a hub that passengers can fly in and out of without ever using services such as baggage claim or transportation, SMF passengers likely arrive at the airport to go someplace else, or they fly here and drive away. "Because of that, there's a lot more usage per passenger," Mares said. "Denver may have (four) times the traffic, but they don't have (four) times the usage."
Making an impression
The design is driven in part by the need to keep Terminal B up and running while a new Central Terminal B is being built. County supervisors accepted the plan in September 2006. It hinges on two buildings built in front of and behind the current Terminal B. It also features an airy interior canopy, allowing for diffused daylight to illuminate -- but not bake -- the building, an elevated split-level roadway, and an intra-terminal passenger tram.
There are many elements, but designers say the project isn't overly complex.
"It's a very simplistic way to do this. It allows us to build it in one construction phase," Kelley said. "And it's the only concept that allows the airport to function as it needs to while in construction."
Construction is slated to begin in late spring 2008 and run through 2011, with a total project cost of $1.27 billion, said Amanda Thomas, business services manager for the Sacramento County Airport System, which oversees operations for Sacramento International, Executive Airport, Mather Airport and Franklin Field.
Imagine driving to the airport on a multi-level roadway that separates the arrival and departure zones. A canopy covers the passenger drop-off and pick-up area. A 200-room hotel and new parking structure (where the current Terminal B sits) are waiting. Inside, the glass walls give natural light and an uninterrupted view.
"You have the outdoors, you have the rivers, you're between two mountain ranges. There are several of those things, and the building is in response to those ideas," Kelley said. "The gesture of the building is that it opens outwards. There are some subtle concepts behind that."
Travelers arriving at the new Terminal B will cover a lot of ground. They'll check their bags on the lowest level, collect their tickets on the second level, transfer to the third level and catch a tram to a second new building to wait at one of 23 gates.
"It's an interactive, very open concept," Kelley said. "There's a long, linear gesture of hallway and lounges that communicates that."
For first-time travelers to Sacramento, the new Terminal B aims to make a good impression. And that's essential, said Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, whose district includes the airport.
"My sense is there are two places to make judgments about an entire region: downtown and the airport," Dickinson said. "This reflects the aesthetics of the valley. It combines the big open spaces and captures a lot of natural light.
"I can't wait to get this thing built."
Going for green
Designers aimed to incorporate not only ease of transition into the design, but also natural elements of the capital region -- even in the choice of building materials.
After the county purchased a redwood bridge linking Sacramento with San Joaquin County, officials wanted to use it in the terminal, Mares said.
"We couldn't use it for the structure because it's not structurally sound, so we decided to use it in the ceiling beam infills," he said. "So we have this 100-year-old recycled redwood that's going to be the dominant feature in the ticketing area."
The floor will be made of concrete and recycled materials. The holding areas walls will feature ceramic tile, and the ticket counter will be granite with decorative metal.
A shading device on the windows will adjust as the sun moves.
"We've developed a system of solar shades -- they're at an exact angle so the moving sun won't get through, but if you're a passenger, you can see right through," Mares said. "The ... glass blocks the intensity of the sun but allows vision."
"We've developed a system of solar shades -- they're at an exact angle so the moving sun won't get through, but if you're a passenger, you can see right through," Mares said. "The ... glass blocks the intensity of the sun but allows vision."
The design of the ventilation system aims for efficiency by heating or cooling only areas with people in them.
All these elements -- the lighting, ventilation, floor and ceiling -- add up to an effort for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, the benchmark for green buildings, from the U.S. Green Building Council.
LEED buildings are not only deemed healthier work environments, but they also tend to enjoy lower operating costs, increased asset values, and tax and zoning incentives, according to the Green Building Council Web site.
Funding flight
While funding is a key part of design, plans are in motion.
"I think it's a challenge, but I don't think any of us are thinking we can't do it," Dickinson said. "No tax dollars, no (county) general fund money. The airport operates as an enterprise."
The bulk of the funding comes from airport revenue bonds, federal grants, passenger charges and internally generated funds
Officials intend to submit letters of intent to apply for long-term Federal Aviation Administration grants, which could provide 10 percent to 15 percent of the project cost.
There's also miscellaneous revenue -- parking, Transportation Safety Administration funding for security upgrades, and the hotel, which will be funded through third-party means, Thomas said.
"It's going to be quite a challenge."