b'TERMINALSSFO23and additional passenger amenities. A 200,000-square-foot expansion with new food, beverage and retail concessions is slated to open in late 2027. Making these massive changes presents significant logistical hurdles, especially for United Airlines operations in boarding areas D, E, F and G, which must remain accessible throughout renovations. Because of that, the project as a whole is going to be highly phased, says Katz. In order to minimize those phases and get some construction efficiency, we came up with this concept of doing what we call interim corridors to route people around the first phase of the project.The idea was hatched early in the planning process and refined over time. Initially, it was dismissed as too costly. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a three-year pause in the Terminal 3 West Modernization. The project team built a strong business case, showing the corridor would save both time and money, and the concept was eventually embraced. Together, SFO, its design-build team opted for a prefabricated structure to streamline construction. The structure was designed to support a live load of 100 pounds per square foot to accommodate passengers, pallet jacks for transporting goods and small PHOTO: JASON OREARservice vehicles, notes Terry Palmer, aviation market leader for Magnusson KlemencicTERRY PALMERAssociates and its principal in charge of structural design for the Terminal 3 West Modernization project. The lateral walkways were engineered to withstand high winds and seismic forces prevalent in San Francisco.and increasing costs. The elevated corridor keeps passengersPassenger-Centric Detailscompletely outside the construction areas by routing them around the existing building. Providing a single, consistent routeAs the interim corridor concept developed, minimizes disruptions, enhances safety and improves the overallSFOs team prioritized the passenger travel experience. experience. We didnt want this to feel like just a temporary construction barrier corridor The $40 million it cost to add the interim corridor was fullyfor travelers, says Ryan Fetters, a Gensler offset by savings associated with eliminating the need to buildprincipal. This is going to be their experience at and rebuild interior tunnels, reducing construction phases andthe terminal for the next two and a half years. RYAN FETTERScompleting the terminal modernization more quickly. You have cost and schedule efficiencies just from being able to captureTo ensure passenger flow remains smooth and congestion-more of the job site and do that work in one big chunk, Katzfree, the corridor was designed as a transit-only space with no notes. Consolidating the work area and allowing constructionseating or amenities. Its purpose is to provide a safe, efficient to proceed in uninterrupted phases enables the overall Terminalroute to other areas with amenities. We want people to get in 3 West project to move forward more effectively, efficiently andthese corridors and have a good experience in them but get safely because passengers are kept out of the construction area. through them as quickly as they can, so were not making their travel any longer, Fetters explains.Airport leaders selected Turner Construction Company, with the Gensler and TEF Design joint venture, to execute thePassengers are able to walk comfortably design-build project. Magnusson Klemencic Associates providedand enjoy the experience as they traverse structural design services for the interim corridor project asto and from their airplanesan essential engineer of record for the Terminal 3 West Modernization.requirement at SFO, adds Pablo Echeverria Garcia, senior design engineer with Magnusson Dismissed Idea to Embraced Solution Klemencic Associates and the firms lead During the Terminal 3 West Modernization, SFO is renovatingstructural designer of the interim corridors.PABLO ECHEVERRIA GARCIA650,000 square feet of space in one of its busiest terminals. TheThe design teams carefully evaluated the width and operational project will include a seismic retrofit, security checkpoint expansionneeds of the spaces and also took into account SFOs robust AirportImprovement.comJanuary | February 2025'