San Diego International Airport, Terminal 2 West Expansion, San Diego, CA

San Diego International Airport (SDIA) operates the country’s single busiest runway, serving more than 18 million passengers annually. Situated next to downtown San Diego in California’s second largest city, SDIA needed to significantly expand its facilities to support current and future travel needs, starting with a 470,000-sf expansion of the Terminal 2 West building and airside (the runway side of the new terminal building).

As part of the Turner Construction/PCL/Flatiron joint-venture design-build team, Syska Hennessy Group provided MEP engineering, low-voltage and security-system design, architectural lighting and vertical transportation design services through design development for the expansion. The expansion provided 10 new gates, a dual-level roadway featuring smart-curb technology, new dining and shopping facilities, and taxiway improvements.

The team evaluated several potential MEP design solutions to support the airport’s commitment to sustainability and a LEED Platinum goal, including displacement ventilation, solar photovoltaics, greywater recovery and a ground-coupled geo-exchange system. Syska’s team performed energy modeling for the terminal expansion as well as CFD modeling for concessions. Design elements include solar photovoltaics, low-flow plumbing fixtures, air-handling units with activated carbon and potassium permanganate filtration systems and high-efficiency HVAC systems.

To support the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s goals for security, we designed MEP, low-voltage and security systems to protect against chemical, biological and radiological attacks.

Terminal 2 West is the world’s first LEED Platinum terminal.

The award-winning project—the largest in the history of SDIA—was completed on budget and on time, and is a shining example of the design-build delivery process.