San Jose, CA

San José Consolidated Rental Car Facility

Client: San Jose International Airport
Our Role: Architecture, Planning, and Design

Exterior night view of San Jose airport rental car center with blue lighting.

As passenger volumes increased at San José International Airport, the need emerged for a centralized facility to simplify rental car operations, ease traveler movement, and alleviate terminal-area congestion. It also had to align with the airport’s broader goals for mobility, sustainability, energy efficiency, and long-range infrastructure planning.

GFT led the complete planning, design, and construction administration for the new San José Consolidated Rental Car Facility (CONRAC), located directly adjacent to the airport’s Terminal B. This 1.8-million-square-foot facility supports efficient rental car operations with a Quick Turnaround Area (QTA), ready/return garage, and customer service center configured for pedestrian-friendly access. The sustainable building design focused on operational efficiency and safety, ensuring a seamless customer experience from curb to car while helping reduce environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions.

Key Features

First-of-its-kind, three-level, stacked rental car fueling and wash facility.
Capacity for 3,000 rental car vehicles and 350 public parking spaces.
Direct pedestrian access from the terminal.
Designed to reduce roadway congestion and improve circulation.
Green building and sustainable design features aligned with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) principles.
Stakeholder coordination with airport authorities and rental car companies.
Incorporated sustainable design principles and design choices supporting long-term energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
One megawatt solar array supplying 20% of the facility’s power.
Local subconsultant and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) engagement.

Outcomes

Streamlined rental car operations and improved passenger experience.
Increased pedestrian safety by eliminating the need to cross active traffic lanes.
Reduced the need for bus trips to rental car offices, reducing the size of the airport’s bus fleet.
Reduced the customer’s average airport time by 20 minutes.
Increased operational efficiency and throughput for rental providers.
Reduced airport roadway congestion by 25% and reduced rental car bus traffic and expense by 80%.
Helped protect the airport’s air quality.
Delivered four months early and $14 million under budget using a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) model.
Supported the airport’s long-term vision for connected, sustainable buildings and low-carbon footprint operations.