A Revamped Set of Projects at San Francisco Airport Define a New Hospitality Frontier

The boutique Dining Room at the British Airways Lounge at SFO features an entry alcove clad in bronze wall paneling. Photography: Eric Rorer Photography, courtesy of WDA

Hospitality – along with every other industry – is taking a big hit while people around the world and now across the country are recalibrating their travel plans and expectations for the foreseeable future as COVID-19, or Coronavirus, makes its presence known state-side.

The Boutique Dining Room captures a modern yet luxurious vibe with plush seating in red velvet and lighting design by Studio Three Twenty One.
In the British Airways Lounge at SFO, 80 percent of seats have access to power, including dedicated work areas with runway views.

But, despite every cancellation we could possibly imagine happening over the last two weeks, we know that air travel will continue to operate, particularly in the U.S. – a country dominated by mass air travel with almost no high-speed rail to speak of.

Because of this, airline transportation hubs are taking their cues from the hospitality industry. Are airline lounges the new American hospitality frontier?

Airports are investing in upgrades on every level of the air travel experience, from a smoother security line to large-scale public atriums with custom works of art, from hyper-local food and drink experiences that speak to the airport’s host city to better-designed restrooms, waiting areas and luxury private lounges.

A series of projects recently completed by the San Francisco-based William Duff Architects (WDA) for the San Francisco International Airport demonstrates a renewed sense of elevated design in the air traveler’s experience. The WDA team has worked on projects for the San Francisco Airport totaling more than 60,000 square feet across all four terminals, over nearly 15 years. The firm has also completed projects at Denver International and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), and is currently working on nearly 4,000 square feet of projects at Oakland International Airport.

The British Airways Lounge at SFO provides 146 seats-from bench seating, club chairs and bar stools to desk chairs-in various configurations to suit any traveler’s needs.

We spoke with WDA Founder William S. Duff, Jr. and retail practice head Jonathan Tsurui to learn more about how air travel is becoming a new frontier for hospitality-minded design.

WDA | William Duff Architects and interior design studio Graven recently refurbished the British Airways Lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The project team also included Turner Construction, KPFF Engineers, Interface Engineering and Design West Partnership.
In the reception area of the British Airways Lounge, located in Concourse A between gates A4 and A6 at SFO, the airlines’ logo features on a plush, dark blue wall fronting two metallic check-in podiums.
The 7,158 square-foot British Airways Lounge at SFO features minimalist design, a soothing color palette of blues, grays and earth tones, and floor-to-ceiling windows with runway views.
The British Airways Lounge at SFO features zoned areas for its public address system, each with distinct seating options, and a bespoke playlist.
Wood flooring is used throughout the British Airways Lounge at SFO with carpet inlay used to delineate seating zones.

“A transformation happened with 9/11,” said Mr. Duff. “Security, and the entire flying experience changed after that. People had to arrive at the airport earlier to get through security, so the amount of time they were actually in the airport expanded.”

“Because of that, there has been a big investment in making airports a pleasant place to be, in addition to being highly functional spaces. Spending time in an airport terminal today is very different than it was 15-20 years ago. Many airports now have a sense of a ‘destination experience’ within them. There’s flooding natural light, more art amenities, and local restaurant and retail experiences.”

“Our role is to help our clients create backdrops for the ever-changing needs and expectations their customers have for passenger experience, from pre-security to post-security and beyond,” said Duff, in the SFO project notes.

Mr. Duff noted that early innovators in the field saw success in bringing more experiences from the local regions into the airport. Airports now mirror the regions they’re located in. SFO wanted to bring the San Francisco Bay Area into the airport itself – through restaurants and retails shops that each have a local element to them. And the way passengers are moving through and interacting with these spaces is changing too.

“Now, the food and beverage experiences feel like part of the layout of the terminal, not tucked away like they used to be,” said Mr. Tsurui. “This design change invites customers in more.”

Critical to the design for Green Beans’ new outpost in the International Terminal at SFO was the company’s desire to create “cafes of calm” for busy people. WDA realized a comfortable environment evoked through natural materials, warm lighting and textured finishes. At the entrance, the outline of walnut, which sweepingly curves down from the ceiling to the coffee brand’s logo, initiates a welcoming gesture, while framing a view into the space.
Walnut, used on the walls, ceiling and the feature millwork display wall, contrasts with the shades-of-white color palette.
Materials dialog as the honeycomb-patterned floor and textured wall meet walnut, articulated from chairs and bench seating to wall and ceiling.

A focus on health and wellbeing has also entered the airport experience. “We’ve begun to create airport and airline environments that are friendlier to people. There is a much greater focus on the passenger being a person and not a number – on really taking into consideration the people who are using and moving through an airport.”

Having overseen WDA projects at SFO for nearly a decade, Mr. Tsurui and his team work through challenges unique to the airport landscape – including “maximizing limited real estate available for passenger amenities to designing around existing building conditions and complex building systems,” details the SFO project notes. “On average, project schedules are fast-paced, running from a few months to a year, while project life spans can range from 10-15 years, depending on the client and type of amenities.”

“Being at an airport the scale of SFO can be conflicting for many people because the passenger experience can be both exhausting and exciting,” said Mr. Tsurui, in project notes. “But if we do our job well, the more than 57 million customers served annually at SFO won’t even notice our work. They’ll just be pleasantly surprised.”

The rise of social media is also informing airport amenity spaces.

“The idea of creating an ‘Instagrammable’ moment has now reached the retail space – it’s not just in hotel and restaurant design,” said Mr. Duff. “That concept of placemaking is now very important in the airport terminal design.”

For its refresh of British Airways’ lounge at San Francisco Airport, the WDA design team worked within the framework of the British Airways design manual to completely revamp the lounge experience. The new lounge provides better amenities – more food and beverage options and more relaxing spaces, with more types of seating available. British Airways also wanted to focus on creating spaces that accommodate the modern business traveler’s needs.

“It was interesting to look at because the last time this space was done was in the late 1990s,” said Mr. Duff. “At that time, airline lounges were seen as a tack-on amenity, but that has completely changed. Now, once you enter a lounge, you are experiencing the airline’s signature experience – as if you’ve already boarded the aircraft. It’s now a much more seamless experience for travelers, compared to 10-20 years ago.”

“While passengers are at the airport earlier due to security, they’re also pressed for time,” added Tsurui. “We want to make the experience of interacting with amenities, such as purchasing things and dining, as seamless as possible. Designing the layout of these amenities becomes really important.”

The time people spend at an airport, and the way people work and move through its terminals, has changed significantly in our lifetime. As this space continues to evolve, designers must rethink how things have been done in the past, and how they can be better designed to support people’s needs in the future.

WDA | William Duff Architects, working with EDG Design, PLA Construction, Interface Engineering, KPFF Engineers, Inman Food Service Group and Hill International, recently completed the SFO storefront for Boudin, an iconic San Francisco-based bakery founded in 1849. The glass-walled storefront invitingly draws in customers from the concourse.
The 1,500 square foot Boudin at SFO is the brand’s latest airport rollout. The open kitchen creates a strong visual connection to the dining and retail areas.