San Francisco's International Airport Terminal has dramatic architectural features, including: expansive interior spaces, 80 feet tall columns, 700 feet long roof trusses, and glass exterior walls.  The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill to resist a magnitude 8 earthquake occurring in the San Andreas fault. The 267 Friction Pendulum bearings (Earthquake Protection Systems, Inc., San Francisco)  protect this landmark building from the severe ground shaking that occurs during major earthquakes. With over 22 million cubic feet of interior space, it is the largest isolated building in the world.

The Friction Pendulum bearings provide a 3 sec. isolated period and reduce earthquake force demands on the building by 70%. Each bearing can displace up to 20 inches in any horizontal direction while supporting buildings and seismic loads of up to 6 million pounds.

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