The Airport That Hardly Feels Like an Airport: Monterey's Net-Zero Terminal

When Monterey Regional Airport's replacement terminal opens in 2027, it will be the first all-electric, net-zero-energy airport terminal in the United States—and it might be the first airport that makes travelers want to slow down. HOK's design for the 62,755-sq.-ft., five-gate facility is grounded in two ideas drawn from the California coast: the "treehouse," expressed through mass timber harvested from local forests, and the "cove," a gathering place that echoes the shoreline. A central courtyard punctures the terminal to create a public town square where locals can watch planes and greet arriving friends. A single-story layout means no level changes from curb to gate. A call-to-board model eliminates gate-camping anxiety. The hybrid mass-timber and steel structure lowers embodied carbon while bringing the warmth of Monterey's redwood forests indoors. Heat-pump chillers, thermal energy storage and a high-performance envelope drive loads down so low that the airport's existing solar arrays can power the entire facility—net-zero achieved without fossil fuels and without sacrificing comfort. Learn more about this project in HOK's 2026 Design Annual: https://www.hok.com/design-annual/hok...