East Solid + Liquid Waste Facility – “Trashtopia” - at San Diego International Airport (SAN)

PGAL served as Architect of Record for two essential support facilities at San Diego International Airport (SAN), delivered under an on-call contract to ensure continuous airport operations. The project included a 32,539-square-foot pre-engineered East Solid & Liquid Waste Facility and a 1,870-square-foot Triturator and Truck Wash, both key to relocating waste services outside the footprint of the new Terminal 1.

Client

San Diego Regional Airport Authority

Construction Delivery

Design-Bid-Build

PGAL Scope

Architect of Record

Completion Date

2023

The site posed multiple constraints: a planned vehicle service road to the north, existing airfield infrastructure and bus staging to the east, and the elevated North Harbor Drive to the south. PGAL responded with an efficient site plan that maintained operational continuity during construction.

The waste facility was designed to support multiple airline provisioning trucks and includes an elevated platform tailored to meet Southwest Airlines’ ergonomic requirements. To protect operations and improve containment, all compactors were placed within the building envelope. High-speed doors help keep migratory birds, especially Least Terns nesting nearby, out of the facility, promoting safe coexistence with the surrounding airfield.

Adjacent to this facility, the Triturator and Truck Wash supports heavy-duty airport vehicles, including ARFF and fuel trucks. The project also introduced updated AOA-compliant fencing and modern security features to meet current airport standards.