A larger, more efficient, and supergreen border crossing facility is planned for the San Ysidro (Calif.) Port of Entry to better handle the more than 100,000 people who cross the U.S.-Mexico border there each day. The land port operates 24/7 and is the busiest in the world, with an average 90-minute wait time for pedestrians and automobiles. Plans from The Miller Hull Partnership aim to reduce wait times to 30 minutes, with 34 lanes of traffic, each with two stacked inspection booths, and a 110,000-sf vehicle inspection canopy for primary and secondary vehicle inspection. Four masts will rise above the canopy to serve as both aesthetic and functional elements; they'll hold security cameras and lighting as well as pump fresh air into inspection booths below the canopy. The $395 million facility will also have a 200,000-sf administration and operations facility, ancillary buildings for the Department of Homeland Security, a 400-car parking garage, and a connection to Mexico's planned El Chaparral Land Port of Entry. The three-phase project is targeting LEED Platinum and net zero energy with several water conservation strategies (including a 700,000-gallon rainwater reclamation system) that are expected to save 12 million gallons per year and achieve water neutrality, a closed-loop geo-exchange system, a photovoltaic panel array, radiant heating and cooling panels, and native plantings.
Related Stories
| Jul 22, 2013
Top Office Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Jacobs top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest office sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 22, 2013
Top Office Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, HOK, Perkins+Will top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest office sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 22, 2013
Market gains encourage better workplace design [2013 Giants 300 Report]
The commercial office sector is finally heating up, led by corporate headquarter and medical office building projects.
| Jul 22, 2013
Top Hotel Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Manhattan Construction, Structure Tone, Lend Lease top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest hotel contractors and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 22, 2013
Top Hotel Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, WATG, HKS top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest hotel architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 22, 2013
Hotel business continues to shine [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Despite some economic stressors, hotel operating fundamentals are poised to remain strong in 2013.
| Jul 22, 2013
Transportation Facility Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from airport terminals and other transportation-related facilities, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Jul 22, 2013
Convention Center Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from convention center projects, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Jul 22, 2013
Cultural Facility Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from cultural facility projects, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Jul 22, 2013
International Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.