Harvey Milk Terminal helps earn SFO beautiful airport award

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has been named as one of the World’s Most Beautiful Airports by Prix Versailles, a series of international awards to recognise outstanding achievements in architectural and interior design.

The awards are presented annually with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris.

“We designed Harvey Milk Terminal 1 to establish a new global benchmark for the airport experience at SFO,” said airport director, Mike Nakornkhet.

“This facility was designed to be extraordinary in every way… as 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.”

Secretary general of the Prix Versailles, Jerome Gouadain, noted: “The mark left by airports stems chiefly from their ever-growing role in international exchanges. “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.