Positioned solely 2.5 miles from the San Andreas Fault, San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) is in an earthquake-prone zone. In 2016, a undertaking to rebuild its management tower between Terminals 1 and a couple of was accomplished. It was constructed with greener expertise and was additionally constructed to resist seismic occasions of 8.0 magnitude.
A mix of putting magnificence and up to date seismic requirements, the airport management tower obtained ample accolades upon its completion and is thought for being among the best on this planet.
The management tower undertaking
Starting in June 2012, SFO and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launched the $150 million undertaking collectively. SFO would make investments $69 million into it and be accountable for integrating the tower into the present airport construction and the tower’s aesthetics. The FAA invested probably the most, at $82 million, paying for the prices of the constructing itself.
The undertaking’s important purpose was to replace the construction to fulfill present seismic requirements, the FAA stated. Its predecessor was in operation since 1954, however retrofitting the present constructing wasn’t seen as “possible,” so the airport determined to strip it and assemble a brand new one.
The constructing was designed by Colorado-based Fentress Architects and Kansas Metropolis-based HNTB. Ultimately, the construction was 220 ft tall, and the 650 square-foot controller part gave air site visitors controllers 235-degree views of the airport’s runways and taxiways, the FAA defined.
Whereas the management tower was constructed to deal with considerations over its capacity to resist earthquakes, it was additionally constructed to be eye-catching. In response to Fentress, the “twisting façade” is impressed by the passenger terminal’s colour, massing, and supplies. Doug Yakel, SFO’s public data officer, additionally stated that whereas the construction was made to suit inside the terminals, it was additionally designed to be an “iconic landmark.”
SFO’s Air Site visitors Management Tower is designed to be an attention grabbing landmark. Picture: SFO
Airport Director Ivar C. Satero stated on the time of completion:
“The result’s a masterpiece, replete with cutting-edge security engineering, superior expertise, and the visible dynamism to characterize SFO for many years to come back. I really respect the imaginative and prescient, dedication, and teamwork that made this distinctive facility doable.”
In addition to the management tower, the undertaking contains a big workplace at its base, often known as the ‘Built-in Facility,’ Fentress stated.
Alongside Fentress, HNTB was tapped because the grasp architect to finish the conceptual works and design the tower as much as 45 % completion. The corporate stated its most vital problem was “squeezing” it into the slender hole between terminals 1 and a couple of.
So, how can it stand up to earthquakes?
The California Earthquake Authority says that scientists consider the San Andreas Fault line might trigger a harmful earthquake in California by 2030. This risk is not far-fetched, because the fault triggered one of many greatest earthquakes in California in 1906 at a scale shut to eight.0, killing round 3,000 civilians.
Whereas earthquakes have been the reason for main city-wide lockdowns, canceled flights, and airport disruptions, air site visitors controllers are very important to the security of plane within the sky, even throughout a pure catastrophe.
In response to Fentress, the management tower features a ‘post-tension’ system, which helps the construction not sway with excessive winds or a big earthquake. Put up-tensioning is used to bolster concrete and enhance its power by being compressed.
The airport is in an earthquake inclined space. Picture: SFO
Rafael Sabelli, a principal and director of seismic design at engineering firm Walter P Moore defined in Construction Journal the post-tensioned forged “resists excessive earthquakes and wind-induced vibration.” Sabelli additionally stated the bottom constructing has concrete partitions and metal gravity framing that may resist “blast threats” from neighboring roadways. He stated:
“A performance-based seismic design methodology was adopted early within the course of, permitting flexibility within the selection of structural system and dependable and customised efficiency aims. Positioned 2.5 miles from the San Andreas Fault, the management tower is designed to stay totally operational on the Design Earthquake degree and to supply protected exiting and no collapse on the Most Thought-about Earthquake degree.”
In actual fact, the post-tensioned core is meant to re-center itself within the occasion of an earthquake and if it subsequently deforms the constructing. Sabelli stated the undertaking demonstrated the “feasibility” of constructing “damage-resistant, self-centering structural methods economically and effectively,” because the SFO and FAA accomplished it inside price range and on time.
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Constructed with sustainability in thoughts
Whereas the management tower is thought for its power and aesthetics, it was additionally constructed with sustainability in thoughts. In 2011, SFO established its sustainability roots by opening the primary LEED Gold terminal. Then in 2016, SFO created a Strategic Plan to attain net-zero carbon, forward of many different nationwide airports. By 2021, the airport had obtained round 5 million blended gallons of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
The management tower was constructed with photo voltaic panels and eco-friendly supplies in its mechanical and technical methods. SFO and the FAA chosen Ambient Power to assist the undertaking attain Gold LEED certifications. The corporate supplied vitality modeling for Title 24 compliance, thermal consolation surveys, and basic and enhanced commissioning.
The corporate stated the tower was predicted to save lots of 12 % in vitality use and 33 % in water use. Plus, over 75 % of the waste throughout building was recycled.
Sources: The California Earthquake Authority, FAA, SFO, Construction Journal,
