San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is one of the fastest-growing airports in North America—the diaspora of its ever-growing number of airport staff across its almost 5,000 acres has caused increasing difficulty for collaboration and departmental connectivity. The 135,000-square-foot Consolidated Administration Campus (CAC) brings together a variety of departments, including the only accredited museum within an airport in the country, as well as Planning, Design & Construction who support the day-to-day and major capital projects for the Airport. The groups function independently, each with its own floor, yet are drawn together through a commonality of approach (expanding the definition of an airport beyond its most basic function) and their interdependence.

Mark Cavagnero Associates designed this Progressive Design-Build project in collaboration with Perkins + Will and Webcor as a formally simple and structurally rich four-story steel building that offers a combination of visual clarity and flexible space to foster connections between the three formerly disparate airport divisions. An interior stair tower, marked by a delineating light well that draws attention to its sculptural form, creates connections in addition to necessary circulation.

A bend in the main structure, visible from the outside, provides a cloistered interior protected space in the otherwise sonically and visually distracting environment of airplanes and runways. The design for the skin optimizes natural daylight while mitigating solar heat gain; the window to wall ratio is reduced and the southern and western exposures are shaded with exterior louvers. Daylight-redirecting film and tall floorplate heights maximize the daylight penetrating the interior spaces. The building sets a new standard in airport design as a net-zero target building, and is also certified LEED Gold®.

The CAC campus looks out over the landing field: each landing and takeoff offers a distinct moment to celebrate the airport’s role in connecting San Francisco with the rest of the world.