San Diego International Airport’s New Terminal 1 replaces the original terminal along the airport’s waterfront edge with a 1.1 million-sq.-ft. facility. The project adds 30 gates and baggage systems that can handle 4,000 bags per hour. A new roadway network and 5,000-space parking plaza support the broader terminal replacement program.
Work began in September 2020 amid pandemic disruption, market escalation and supply-chain volatility. Progressive Design-Build (PDB) allowed design, permitting and construction to proceed concurrently as the team responded to changing conditions. A carefully phased construction plan kept the airport fully operational and passenger service uninterrupted.
Aligning Decisions Across a Complex Program
A shared working environment gave the Airport Authority, designer, contractor and trade partners direct access to one another, accelerating decisions across the program. TSA, airlines and airport departments were also embedded in the process through workshops and design reviews, allowing operational needs to shape solutions before they reached the field. Pull-planning sessions connected those decisions directly to construction sequencing.
Open-book estimating and Target Value Design allowed the team to validate costs as design advanced. An extensive BIM and VDC program provided a shared view of project interfaces and supported 4D schedule simulations, helping identify conflicts early across the terminal and surrounding infrastructure.
The team achieved temporary occupancy milestones months before the public opening, creating additional time for move-in, testing and operational readiness. Despite the conditions surrounding its delivery, the project met its scheduled milestones and final Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP).
New Terminal 1 also delivers significant community value. Energy-efficient systems, water-reuse strategies, expanded accessibility and public art support the Airport Authority’s long-term goals. More than $1.8 billion in work was awarded to local, small and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses.
Six DBIA-credentialed professionals helped lead a program demonstrating how design-build can deliver extraordinary scale while maintaining airport operations and long-term community value.
Design-Build Team
| Client/Owner: | San Diego County Regional Airport Authority |
| Owner Advisor: | AECOM |
| Design-Builder: | Turner-Flatiron, A Joint Venture |
| General Contractor: | Turner-Flatiron, A Joint Venture |
| Architect: | Gensler |
| Engineers: | Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Inc.; Kleinfelder; Latitude 33 |
| Specialty Contractors: | Ross & Baruzzini, CAGE Introba; Watry Design, Inc.; Saiful Bouquet; James Carpenter Design Associates, Inc.; Amerivet Contracting |
| Project Cost: | $2,480,000,000 |
| Construction Duration: | 60 months |
Photos
Photo Credits: Ema Peter; Mike Rucisnki; Joe Armbruster