San Antonio, TX

San Antonio International Airport Consolidated Car Rental Facility

Client: City of San Antonio, Department of Aviation
Our Role: Project Management, Programming, Planning, Architecture, Structural And Civil Engineering, Construction Administration, Traffic Circulation, Stakeholder Coordination, and Modeling

Night view of the San Antonio ConRAC with backlit aviation-themed art and illuminated skybridge.

The City of San Antonio needed to replace an aging short-term parking garage that no longer met the demands of a growing airport and evolving rental car operations. Initially built for a different era of travel, the structure had become outdated in both capacity and function. To replace it, the city envisioned a high-capacity, consolidated rental car facility (CONRAC) that could support rental car operations and public parking. The solution had to improve staff and customer safety, enhance the overall passenger experience, and integrate seamlessly with airport operations, all while staying within a carefully managed budget. The demolition site included garage and surface parking areas containing both mapped and unmapped underground utilities that had to be relocated or avoided to allow for foundation construction.

GFT led the full lifecycle of the project, from programming and planning to design and construction administration. The new rental car facility spans seven levels and provides direct sky bridge access from the terminal to the customer service building. This improves circulation, minimizes wait times, and enhances airport customer experience. With dedicated rental car areas, integrated public parking, and rooftop overflow storage, the design balances operational efficiency with customer journey. A value engineering process and close contractor coordination ensured cost-effective delivery. To address underground utility constraints from the demolished garage and surface lots, the team conducted detailed utility mapping and coordinated foundation design around critical systems, avoiding service disruptions and enabling safe, efficient construction.

Key Features

Direct terminal-to-customer service building sky bridge enhances safety by eliminating pedestrian crossings over active traffic lanes and improves customer experience.
1,570,300 square feet across seven floors.
1,950 ready/return rental car spaces and 1,400 public parking spaces.
Rooftop rental car overflow storage.
Multilevel quick turnaround area (QTA).
Sustainable design following Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) best practices.
Integration of local public art.
Careful avoidance of critical utilities, including chilled water lines.

Outcomes

Completed on time and within budget under Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery.
Reduced pedestrian-vehicle conflicts and enhanced wayfinding reflect the project’s success in delivering a customer-focused airport design.
Gained 100% support from rental car companies and industry stakeholders on the phasing strategy and construction approach, minimizing disruption to ongoing services and post-completion modifications.
Supported phased construction at a high-traffic terminal while improving the overall travelers’ experience.
Achieved 48% local subconsultant participation and 35% disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) participation, exceeding the 34% goal.