In August 2013 San Diego International Airport launched the Green Build, a massive project securing easier access for passengers, entirely new shopping hub and 10 new gates. With the cost of around $907 million it has been the largest construction project in the airport’s history that also includes numerous eco-friendly measures.
Green Build has promised to speed up and expand air travel for all kinds of passengers at the Lindbergh Field, including numerous passengers using Terminal 1. With numerous new environment friendly features, this project has been one of the most successful projects undertaken by the airport.
The Green Build is not the only chapter in a very long debate about solving the airport’s projected capacity crunch. However, its environment friendly features have been able to silence all kinds of calls for building a completely new regional airport somewhere else.
Green Build has not made any significant changes to the existing Terminal 1. Due to this, San Diego International Airport has become one of the busiest single-runway airports in the United States.
A Completely Revamped Airport
According to most experts, Green Build is not the last vision for the Lindbergh Field. However, it is still a huge upgrade to allow transportation officials to buy time and even ease congestion on the runway, security lines and roadways.
According to experts, this project increases the efficiency of the airport, while making the entire traveling experience more enjoyable. Almost every new feature of the Green Build is located at Terminal 2, which handles both international and domestic flights. Some of these features include:
● 10 airplane gates
● Elevated road separating departing and arriving traffic
● Larger security checkpoint
● Pet relief station, with fire hydrant
● $6 million worth public art
● New terminal building with drinks, food, shopping retailers, entertainment joints and more.
The new terminal building included in this project is called Sunset Cove. It houses many different vendors, including Pannikin Coffee & Tea, Stone Brewing Co. and Phil’s BBQ. The building will also include an entertainment stage, wine bar and two spa centers.
Besides offering all these amenities, the Green Build also aims at saving time of numerous travelers. The new security checkpoint has 12 lanes. This is twice the number of lanes in the previous security checkpoint. In addition to this, there’s also a dual level roadway to increase the functionality of the airport.
Going Green
The Green Build pursues LEED or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design silver certification. The project’s sustainable design focuses on many different goals. Some of these include reduced energy consumption, use of various alternative energy resources and decreased water usage.
The certification was created by the United States Green Building Council and it is a very popular and reputed certification which verifies that the Green Build project has been developed with focus on various key areas, including water efficiency, energy savings, improved indoor environmental quality, emissions reductions, and a lot of different resources.
The Green Build incorporates many different sustainable design principles with the primary goal of receiving the certification. For instance, the Airport Authority and contractors have made every possible effort to source different construction materials regionally. This ensures minimized energy usage and fuel requirements.
Moreover, it also ensures that over 54,000 tons of construction material waste produced was diverted from the landfills. Most of it was reused or recycled on the site. In addition to this, some key features of the Green Build project have been reflective roofs, low flow water fixtures, photovoltaic solar panels, use of energy efficient and natural lighting and other ecofriendly features.