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san francisco international airport (sfo)

www.flysfo.com

San Francisco International Airport (SFO), an enterprise department of the City and County of San Francisco, delivers world-class security and customer service in state-of-the-art facilities. SFO, the “gateway to the Pacific,” serves nearly 40 million domestic and international passengers annually.  SFO is committed to setting the standard for our industry. SFO and its staff have been recognized as industry leaders in developing innovative programs and initiatives in the fields of security, the environment, customer service, concessions and business. Leadership in each of these areas reflects SFO’s commitment to its mission “to provide an exceptional Airport in service to our communities.” 
SFO handles an average of 1,000 flights daily and is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. SFO is, in fact, a city in itself; with a daily population exceeding 250,000, it serves over 50 airlines and 300 tenant businesses. It also has a medical clinic, police and fire departments, and a world famous art exhibition program. 

The Airport’s engineers and architects are large contributors to SFO being the outstanding facility that it is. Of the 5,200 acres that comprise this facility, 2,500 are under water and most of the remaining 2,700 acres are constructed from fill on Bay mud. Such a foundation leads to many unique engineering and architectural challenges. Airport engineers constantly strive for innovative solutions to problems incurred in the design of 4 runways, 16.5 miles of taxiways and 26 miles of roadway.
San Francisco is truly an interesting and exciting place to work. If you are up to the challenge of creating an Airport environment using your engineering and architecture background, then the Airport is a great place to refine and hone your skills.

 

Architecture

The Architecture Branch is mainly responsible for feasibility studies, planning, design and preparation of contract documents and construction of Airport facilities, including new buildings, modifications, remodeling and maintenance projects.  The Architecture Branch also reviews, evaluates, and approves Airport tenant (Airlines and concessions) projects to ensure the safety and welfare of the public and to enforce the Airport’s high standards of design and construction criteria.  They are also responsible for the Airport’s ADA (Americans with Disability Act) program that ensures all existing and new public facilities are accessible and in compliance with federal, state and local requirements. 

Asset Management

Asset Management is part of the Architecture Branch.  The objectives for Asset Management at SFO is to maintain assets at an optimum level while maximizing the effectiveness of the Airport’s resources, to implement sustainable and cost-efficient processes using best practices and technologies, including lifecycle cost analysis, forecasting, and decision analysis, and to maintain asset registry, asset availability, reliability, and operational safety.  Knowledge in the fields of Geographic Information System and Industrial Engineering are often recruited to support the development of our enterprise initiatives, which include extensive collaboration with other Airport departments such as Engineering, Environmental Planning, Noise Abatement, and Airfield and Emergency Operations, etc., for repair and replacement, and to include associated costs in the Airport’s Facilities Maintenance Budget and Capital Plan.

Civil Engineering

SFO is considered a city within a city.  It has structures (large and small), terminals, cargo buildings, electrical power stations, and firehouses.  It has miles of roadways with garages and parking lots; and yes, like most cities, SFO has its visitors from the sky; however these birds wear company logos and fuel the economic engine of the Bay Area.  It is the responsibility of the Civil Engineering Section to make this “City” as safe and efficient as possible.  Civil Engineering designs drainage systems to divert storm water off the pavement for treatment; oversees and manages multi-discipline projects; provides airfield and roadside pavement design, and provides for new taxiways and parking areas for planes.  They also design and construct pavement projects for runways, taxiways and concrete aprons and keep the pavement management program up to date. Staff also provide design and construction management services for airfield drainage systems, aircraft lead-in systems, airfield security fencing systems, garage structures and parking lot improvements, the elevated roadway system, perimeter shoreline/dike system, geotechnical and structural engineering assistance, and airfield geometric design.

Construction Management

Construction Managers and Inspectors are responsible for inspecting construction work as it progresses to completion, ensuring quality control and quality assurance, reviewing and checking preliminary plans and specification, estimating quantities for projects, and monitoring progress payments.  Inspectors provide inspection and coordination of Airport construction contracts.  Surveyors provide surveying services, including control points, horizontal and vertical datum’s, layout, cuts and fills info, offsets and metes and bounds.

Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineers deal with power distribution systems, telecommunications systems, life safety systems, security systems, facilities control and monitoring systems for the Airport.  They work on systems to provide a safe and reliable operational atmosphere.  The Airport’s power distribution system includes 12kv distribution system, emergency distribution system, secondary distribution system and a 65-mile high voltage lighting system.

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineers design and improve the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and energy management control system for all the Airport facilities. They manage and upgrade various types of building fire protection system; assure that there is an adequate safe drinking water supply and that water is being conserved; enforce cross connection control; improve storm drainage and /or industrial waste and sewage pump station; expand critical infrastructure such as water, sewer, industrial waste, storm drain, natural gas, diesel and aviation fuel system.  Mechanical engineers also design fall protection system for worker safety that comply with the latest environmental, health, safety, and security regulations.

Structural Engineering

Structural Engineers deal with the structural aspects of the buildings, firehouses, utilities stations, bridges, viaducts, garages, bridges and other facilities in the Airport.  These include the structural integrity, seismic considerations, and waterproofing of various facilities.  They provide structural engineering and design services on new facility construction as well as modifications and additions to existing facilities.  They also participate in the establishment and upgrade of the Airport’s Tenant Improvement Guide (Airport’s Building Code).

Traffic Engineering

Traffic Engineers are responsible for the safety and operations of the roadways and freeway ramps serving the Airport.  Traffic Engineers oversee the operations of traffic signals, roadway striping, way finding signing and overhead electronic message signs, and maintain records used in planning and litigation, and in establishing speed limits.  Traffic Engineers provide the geometric design of roadways and transportation facilities during the planning process.  They provide traffic handling planning for construction activities on roadways and in parking facilities to ensure safe and efficient roadway operations during construction.

Utilities Engineering

Utilities engineering is responsible for keeping all the Airport-owned underground utilities operational that include water, industrial waste, sanitary sewer, and storm drain pipes.  Utilities Engineering uses mechanical, civil, electrical engineers to help design and manage construction projects, to upgrade and replace underground utilities, as well as manage as-needed contracts to repair broken utilities.

Environmental Service

Environmental Services group (ESG) is responsible for preparation of SFO Sustainability Plan, Environmental Sustainability Report, and SFO Climate Action Plan. The sustainability plan entails identification of sustainability practices and will provide guidelines for implementation of such practices at the Airport.  Sustainability guidelines would cover all aspects of SFO procedures, practices, and policies; including design and construction, operation and maintenance, air and water quality enhancement, resource procurement and utilization, climate change adaptation, and environmental management system.   The Climate Action Plan is updated annually and documents the status of SFO’s carbon footprint as well as the offset measures implemented to mitigate the environmental impact of SFO carbon emissions.  The Environmental Sustainability Report is updated periodically and describes environmental achievements and milestones at SFO, including natural resource conservation, solid waste reduction and recycling, enhancement of the work environment, and green building initiatives.
In addition ESG develops and implements contaminant remediation plans for soil and groundwater and abatement plans for building hazardous materials and provides expert advice on environmental issues to other Airport sections. ESG also ensures compliance with local, State, and Federal environmental laws and regulations pertaining to SFO operations.