A New Gateway for San Diego: Light, Space and a Sense of Place

Walking into the new Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport, you immediately feel the difference. The old 1960s-era building has given way to an expansive, light-filled structure that feels every bit the gateway to Southern California. This is not just another terminal upgrade, but a considered piece of architecture that puts the passenger experience front and centre.

Gensler, the global design firm behind the project, speaks of celebrating San Diego’s identity through space and material. “Our design for Terminal 1 celebrates Southern California’s natural beauty with abundant daylight, local materials, and expansive views,” explained Terence Young, Principal at Gensler. That ambition is clear the moment you enter: soaring voids, broad windows that frame the city and bay beyond, and the warm tones of wood and natural finishes that soften the scale of the building.

The new terminal is nearly three times the size of its predecessor, yet it doesn’t overwhelm. Instead, it creates a rhythm of openness and intimacy, moving passengers through large, airy halls into calmer, more defined gate areas. By balancing vast volumes with carefully framed views and daylight, the design avoids the sterility that often plagues large terminals. Sustainability is also central to the concept. The building integrates natural ventilation strategies, high-performance glazing, and regional materials to lower its environmental impact while still delivering a sense of generosity. The use of timber detailing throughout adds warmth and tactility, making the terminal feel more like a public pavilion than an anonymous transit hall.

What stands out most is how the space feels like an extension of its surroundings. From terraces with views across the bay to circulation zones that draw in the coastal light, this is a building rooted in place. “Every element of the terminal prioritises a seamless, human-centred experience for every traveller,” said the airport authority at its opening. And that philosophy shows: whether you’re a local returning home or a visitor arriving for the first time, the terminal offers a sense of arrival that is distinctly San Diego. Food, retail and amenity spaces have also been treated with the same degree of care. Instead of cramming in anonymous concessions, the terminal brings in a marketplace feel, showcasing a mix of local vendors alongside global brands. The result is not just a place to wait, but an environment that encourages dwell time in a more positive way.

A small but telling disconnect

Of course, no terminal is perfect, and as you might see from the renderings, there is one curious holdover from the past. Despite the architectural ambition, the boarding bridges remain the same familiar corrugated-metal tunnels seen across most U.S. airports. It’s a small but telling disconnect: after being surrounded by glass, daylight and wood, passengers still funnel into a utilitarian grey passage before stepping onto the aircraft.

There are reasons for this. For many years, U.S. fire codes did not allow glass jet bridges, preventing the transparent structures common in Europe and Asia. Only in the past decade or so have regulations shifted to permit them, and even then, cost, maintenance and legacy infrastructure have slowed adoption. As a result, even the most striking new terminals often retain the same generic bridges, a reminder of the slow pace of change in certain corners of aviation design.

Yet the strength of San Diego’s Terminal 1 lies in how much it gets right. It offers scale without harshness, a sense of place without cliché, and a passenger experience rooted in light, comfort and clarity. It reflects a shift in airport design where architecture is no longer simply about processing people, but about shaping journeys and identities.

Gensler’s aviation portfolio demonstrates that this is not an isolated case. From Incheon Terminal 2 in Seoul to new facilities in Columbus and San Jose, the studio has consistently pushed for airports that feel connected to their contexts, that fuse infrastructure with human experience. San Diego now sits proudly in that lineage — a new benchmark for regional airports in the United States.

The bridges may still look the same, but in every other respect, this is a terminal that sets a new standard. Architecture at airports should not just impress from afar; it should change how we feel as we move through it. And in that respect, San Diego’s Terminal 1 succeeds.

As I do every year, I ask on your kind support to keep things going. If you are able to donate – whatever amount – it all gets funnelled back in to the site, to keep the site full of content. And I thank you personally for your kind support.