Skanska USA Building is demolishing an outdated 35,000-sq.-ft. structure at San Francisco International Airport, which is where a new 98,000-sq.-ft. cargo building will rise.
Skanska USA Building photo
Though the construction is expected to be completed in December 2027, the airport is in the process of identifying potential tenants for the new cargo facility, according to Gordon Childress, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska in California.
The new cargo facility will be multi-tenanted, and spaces are being built out in sizes ranging from 1,500 to 50,000 sq. ft.
"What we do have specifics on are the requirements of separating what would be called the air side from the land side," Childress said. "So, anything that is coming into the facility is separated and has to go through a review process before it can come to the land side. We do know that we have those requirements."
The cargo building also will have 25,000 sq. ft. of mezzanine office space.
In addition to the cargo facility, Skanska is constructing a 23,000 sq. ft. ground service equipment, or GSE maintenance building, on the 10-acre site. The site is called the West Field Development because the construction of the new buildings is taking place on the west side of the airport. The GSE building will serve as what Johana Godoy, Skanska's assistant superintendent on the project, called a "laydown" or maintenance shop for the airport.
"All the field service vehicles for the airline will have this ground service equipment facility support, baggage handling, fueling, things like that, which are outsourced. That's what a lot of the ground service equipment building is for," Childress said.
In addition to the cargo facility and the GSE building, the project includes an additional cargo facility, new parking structure and new underground utilities. The development also calls for an administration building in the future and pedestrian-friendly updates, Childress said.
The updating of the facilities is being undertaken as part of an airport modernization that will improve efficiency and security, Childress said.
The outdated 35,000-sq.-ft. structure being demolished to make way for the cargo building was low, so a wrecking ball wasn't needed. To bring the building down, Skanska used a Link-Belt 350 X4 crawler excavator with saw teeth.
Concurrently, Skanska is laying the foundation for the GSE building. For the foundation work, the Skanska team performed excavations using a Hyundai 380 excavator, infilled the new pad using a Hamm H10i pad foot compactor and drilled piles with Fundex TBX45 torque-driven pile and Fundex TBX 35 torque-driven pile rigs.
For the installation of driven H piles, Skanska will use two 80-ft. tall drill rigs and a crane for support, which are generally smaller than those typically used.
Skanska USA Building photo
The Federal Aviation Administration has height restrictions for the equipment. Due to the proximity of the runaways to the GSE building, the equipment can't penetrate the "air envelope" so it doesn't impact the airplanes taking off and landing, and the loads they can carry, said Johana Godoy, Skanska's superintendent on the project.
That means, she said, no equipment can exceed 45 ft. for work on the GSE building, while there is an 80-ft. height restriction for the cargo facility.
This led to Skanska using smaller drill rigs than typically deployed.
The height restrictions also are creating challenges for erecting the steel.
A standard pile drilling rig would extend well above this limit, Godoy said.
"We used a specialized Fundex drill rig to install the piles and ensure we remained within the restriction," she said. "This required additional coordination as the minimum pile depth is 75 feet. Pile lengths were ordered to maximize installation speed and minimize welding while still adhering to the height limit."
Skanska also must coordinate with the other general contractors working on the West Field Development Program.
"From a logistical and equipment standpoint, there are projects working side-by-side where we must coordinate closely with other general contractors in the program to ensure there are no conflicts with large equipment deliveries or high volumes of trucking at the same time to minimize traffic flow impacts in the area," Godoy said. "So, it's a day-to-day coordination that we have to work through, not only from a logistical point of view but from a design standpoint as well."
Skanska USA Building photo
During peak construction of the project, Godoy estimated there will be approximately 110 workers on the site.
Skanska also is following the airport's environmental guidelines. They have encountered minimal hazardous material, which is taken to a specialized facility for disposal.
In addition to the airport's guidelines, the project must conform to the city and county of San Francisco's sustainability goals. This means incorporating solar panels and including infrastructure for electric vehicles. The project prioritizes natural lighting wherever feasible and incorporates sustainable materials to reduce environmental impact.
Childress noted the diversity of the Skanska team on the project, with the staff split 50/50 between men and women.
"We are setting ourselves apart from what the typical construction industry looks like with this team of professionals," he said. CEG
(All photos courtesy of Skanska USA Building.)
