San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is one of the world’s “most beautiful airports”, according to a string of recent accolades.
Prix Versailles, a series of international awards to recognise outstanding achievements in architectural and interior design, recognised the airport as “establishing a new global benchmark for the airport experience”.
The awards are presented annually by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris.
“We designed Harvey Milk Terminal 1 at SFO to be extraordinary in every way,” said Airport Director Mike Canonchet.
“It is a place of relaxation, a place of sustainable design and operation, a place of inspiring artwork and museum exhibits, and a place to share the story of pioneering civil rights leader Harvey Milk. Being named among the World’s Most Beautiful Airports by Prix Versailles is the ultimate validation of our efforts, and we are truly grateful for this honour.”
“The mark left by airports stems chiefly from their ever-growing role in international exchanges,” said Secretary General of the Prix Versailles, Jerome Gouadain.
“As a result, this infrastructure must resolve formidable difficulties in terms of flow management and the aircraft themselves. But this new brand of facilities can also be seen as works of art, or at least as things of beauty. In fact, we should strive to make this happen, given their inescapability in our built environments and our landscapes.”
The Harvey Milk Terminal 1 project opened in four phases.
The first phase opened in July 2019 with the nine departure gates, followed in April 2020 by nine additional gates, an exterior facade with Harvey Milk signage, and a new ticket counter area.
The Third phase opened in May 2021 with seven more departure gates, a new post-security connector to the International Terminal, a new museum gallery, and a new display of exhibit content honouring the life and legacy of Harvey Milk.
The fourth and final phase opened in June 2024 with a new north check-in lobby, a new mezzanine-level security checkpoint, two additional aircraft gates, and a new connecting walkway that links all SFO terminals post-security.
San Francisco is one of the top tourism and meeting destinations in the U.S. and received 23.1 million visitors in 2023.
Total tourism spending in 2023 exceeded $8.8 billion. The tourism industry is the largest generator of outside revenue into San Francisco’s economy and supports over 63,000 jobs.
Image by San Francisco Travel Assocation
