San Francisco International Airport (SFO) announced this week that its Harvey Milk Terminal 1 has become the first airport terminal in the world to earn “Platinum” certification using the latest standards from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
This latest Platinum version, known as LEED v4, raises the bar for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance structures. SFO earned this certification for Boarding Area B in Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which includes the 25-gate concourse, post-security concession space, and integrated connector to the U.S. Customs Federal Inspection Area.
“We are truly proud to be the first airport in the world to earn LEED v4 Platinum certification,” said Ivar Satero, SFO director. “This achievement continues a tradition of leadership in sustainable facilities that includes the first LEED Gold airport terminal in the United States, and the world’s first zero net energy facility at an airport. My thanks go out to the entire project team for continuing to push the envelope for what airports can accomplish to support our environmental goals.”
Sustainable design and construction measures were prioritized at every stage of the project and highlights include: a tote-based Independent Carrier System (ICS) that uses 50 percent less energy. self-energizing (regenerative) elevators that recycle energy, Go-Slow escalators and moving walkways that reduce speed when not in use to save energy, and radiant heating and cooling to complement displacement ventilation to provide energy efficiency, improved indoor air quality and enhanced passenger comfort.
Other sustainability-focused features in SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1 include dynamic glazed windows that change with the sun’s location, large windows harnessing daylight to reduce the need for electric lighting, controllable long-life light-emitting diode (LED) lighting fixtures. low-flow, hands-free bathroom fixtures and faucets save water, roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, providing renewable power for the facility and the use of building materials and furnishings with low-volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
