This article originally appeared on California Home + Design
San Francisco International Airport gets another gorgeous upgrade with its renovated Terminal 3 Boarding Area E, which opened January 28 for flight. Gensler, the SF-based firm behind Terminal 2's clean cladding and artistic commissions (cue the floating sculptures of Kendall Buster and Janet Eichelman), took the reins again for this project, which also targets LEED Gold certification and interactive design elements.
The $138 million renovation encompassed 60,000 square feet of the terminal (or 10 United Airlines gates). Among the highlights? Heightened ceilings and skylights that draw in more natural light to the holding rooms; a yoga room featuring a Zen-inspired, floor-to-ceiling illuminated fissure; circadian adaptive lighting in the hold rooms that mimic natural lighting; a children's play area with large moving circles set into the floor; and two areas designated for pop-up shops, such as Ferry-Building standby McEvoy Olive Oil from Petaluma, and Collector from Berkeley. A raised "Flight Deck" near the entry, created in partnership with Razorfish, houses touch screen panels that relay information about SFO flights throughout the world. Similar to Terminal 2, connectedness is a priority. Find with elevated work tables, free WiFi and hundreds of easily accesible power outlets throughout the space.
