Oakland Airport

Project:
Metropolitan Oakland Airport Terminal Complex

Architects:
Warnecke & Warnecke

Photographer:
Gerald Ratto

Awards:
Progressive Architecture Design Award Program 1960

Date Completed:
1962

The Metropolitan Oakland Airport Terminal Complex was the first increment in a long-range master plan intended to provide for the East Bay’s growing air travel needs through 1985.

There are several striking features in this award-winning, yet practical design. The roofs of the two main buildings were constructed out of precast concrete shells. This allowed for later expansion as the capacity of the airport grew. The Terminal Building roof was made up of hyperbolic paraboloids, and the Ticketing Building’s roof consisted of 54 conoidal shells. The Control Tower was built as a square eleven-story structure that rose out of the Terminal Building. The control tower and cocktail lounge was sadly demolished in 2015.