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SAN terminal 2 Parking Plaza

San Diego International Airport

Terminal 2 Parking Plaza


In 2016, Intellient joined the San Diego International Airport (SAN) Terminal 2 Parking Plaza project. The Terminal 2 Parking Plaza site spanned nine acres and included 1 million square feet of construction and renovation across three levels.

For customers, the Parking Plaza created a streamlined experience to provide a more efficient payment process, a parking guidance system to direct customers to the nearest open space, and a process for reserving spaces in advance. These features allowed for a positive atmosphere as the first touchpoint before customers enter the airport.

Intellient was responsible for the smart garage technology systems design coordination, systems implementation management, testing, commissioning, and project close-out for Swinerton Builders.

Project Details

The $127.8 million plaza was designed to include 2,901 “close-in” parking spaces—spaces that allow travelers to park within walking distance of Terminal 2. Seven glass-back elevators were also included in the project scope, allowing riders to see through the walls of the cab for increased safety. The design also featured open light wells and public art installations.

Designing an environmentally sustainable space was critical, so the plaza incorporated natural lighting, energy-efficient light fixtures, and a system for capturing and treating rainwater for re-use. As a side benefit, the plaza’s parking guidance system was expected to reduce emissions from cars waiting to find a place to park.

The project also required several off-site improvements, including parking lot reconfigurations, utility relocations, and access to the existing airport campus.

Services Provided

Throughout the course of the project, Intellient provided the following services:

SAN terminal 2 Parking Plaza

Technology Systems

Design Services

  • Stakeholder Coordination
  • Systems Planning, Validation, and Assessment
  • Site Surveys
  • System Interface Design
  • Design Engineering/Design Assist
  • Technical Specifications Development
  • Systems Integration Planning
  • Network Architecture
  • Systems Responsibility Matrix Development
  • Construction Cost Estimating
  • Systems GMP Costing
  • System Interface Design

Technology Systems

Delivery Services

  • Systems Integration Delivery
  • Program/Project Management
  • Construction Management/Administration
  • Schedule Management
  • Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC)
  • Project Controls
  • Construction Scope Document Development
  • Bid Review/Recommendation
  • Vendor Management
  • Procurement
  • Delivery/Implementation Management
  • User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
  • Commissioning
  • Operational Readiness and Transition (ORAT)
  • Training

Associated Systems

The major systems components included Telecommunications/Information Systems, Physical Security Systems, Airport Operational Systems, and Passenger Processing Systems:

Telecommunications/Information Systems

  • Telecom Room
  • Premise Distribution System (Structured Cabling)
  • LAN/WLAN/Wi-Fi
  • Telephony/VoIP
  • Audio/Visual

Physical Security Systems

  • Access Control
  • CCTV
  • 700 MHz Radio

Airport Operational Systems

  • Building Automation/Building Management (BAS/BMS)
  • Distributed Antenna (DAS)
  • Fire Alarm/Mass Notification
  • Dynamic Signage

Passenger Processing Systems

  • Multi-User Flight Information Displays (MUFIDS)
    • Visual Paging Displays (VPD)
    • Display Data Control (DDC)

Project Results

The Terminal 2 Parking Plaza opened to the public in 2018, after just 20 months of construction. The project increased the net parking in the area by roughly 1,800 spaces, and, for the first time, offered 1,740 spaces for covered parking.

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