San Francisco International Airport — or SFO as it is commonly called — offers gateway flights throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia, in addition to serving destinations throughout North America. SFO ranks as one of the 25 busiest airports in the world and is the largest international terminal in North America.
SFO’s geographic location demanded unique design considerations. The terminal is among the largest structures in the world to be built upon base isolators, which offer protection from seismic forces. Friction pendulum isolators, some 267 of them, are placed between the building and its foundation, accommodating movements characteristic of local seismic events. Limited space at the site necessitated that the terminal be constructed above the airport’s main access road, completing SFO’s circle of terminals.
The Enclos team provided custom-designed unitized curtainwalls spanning over