Costing roughly $383 million, the newly renovated 640,000 square foot terminal is home to Virgin America and American Airlines, and has already met 3.2 million passengers this year alone. Completed in April 2011, T2 includes a slew of sustainability strategies aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of travel.

On the operations side this includes energy and water efficiency, reuse and recycling of the old terminal building’s materials and aggressive recycling and composting policies. To help green the traveling experience for fliers, the airport provides hydration stations for passengers to fill up their re-usable water bottles, signage to educate travelers on sustainable issues, local and organic food vendors and an intuitive, naturally daylit space. The terminal is directly connected to BART (San Francisco’s mass transit system) so passengers and employees can access it easily.

Gensler aimed to elevate the traveler experience by placing a strong emphasis on service, hospitality and comfort. To ease the stress of the security area, the terminal features a recompose area so passengers can gather their belongings and get situated in a more leisurely fashion. A variety of shops, restaurants, lounges, children’s play areas and seating options give the terminal a more club-like feel by catering to everyone’s desires, all while making it easy for them to still keep tabs on what is going on at their gate. Sculptures, paintings and installations enliven the terminal and provide fun distractions.

Inhabitat also had the chance to speak with Melissa Mizell, Design Director at Gensler, about the design of Terminal 2. Keep reading for our interview with Melissa.

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