Gene Sandoval Brings Bayanihan to American Airport Design

When Gene Sandoval first landed at Portland International Airport (PDX), he never imagined that one day he would be leading the design of the airport’s main terminal expansion. Sandoval, who grew up in Palawan, developed an appreciation for the beauty of the natural environment and being a good steward of the land at a young age, as well as a fierce creative spirit inspired by his family’s boat-building business.

After studying architecture for two years at the University of Santo Tomas, he set off for Oregon, where he completed his degree in architecture at the University of Oregon.

Now, as a partner at ZGF Architects, a firm with roots in Portland and seven offices across the U.S. and Canada, and projects around the world, Sandoval leads design teams on complex and ambitious projects, like PDX, and international brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Google. And after almost 40 years in the U.S., Sandoval still proudly credits his Filipino roots for influencing his unconventional design thinking and his resourcefulness.

“When I moved to Oregon, I saw the forests and the local timber industry as this amazing natural resource—and I saw the opportunity to leverage it,” he says. “The design concept for PDX was inspired by a walk in a Pacific Northwest forest. “It’s really like a rite of passage in the Pacific Northwest.”

But turning the concept into reality was inspired by the notion of bayanihan. “We built PDX by leaning into the natural resources and the ingenuity of the community,” he says.

Instead of building an entirely new airport, much of PDX’s existing infrastructure was reused. Its soaring 9-acre mass timber roof—the largest in the U.S.—celebrates the history and future of Oregon’s timber industry and the spirit of the region’s craftsmanship.

Wood was locally sourced from landowners and mills within a 300-mile radius of the airport, including small landowners, tribal lands, and community forests practicing sustainable forestry, establishing a replicable blueprint for sustainable wood sourcing. And just like the farm-to-table concept in the restaurant industry, PDX features a forest-to-frame system created to track as much of the wood as possible back to its forest of origin. There are even markers and a map to show where the wood comes from.

And just like the farm-to-table concept in the restaurant industry, PDX features a forest-to frame system created to track as much of the wood as possible back to its forest of origin. There are even markers and a map to show where the wood comes from.

The interiors of the airport feel more like a first-class lounge and were designed with biophilic strategies to enhance the passenger experience. Lush trees, plants, and 49 thoughtfully placed skylights of different shapes and sizes that filter daylight into the terminal create a calming environment designed to reduce the stress that many people experience while traveling. It is even designed to withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.

Frequently cited as one of America’s best airports and recently named the top airport in America by The Washington Post, PDX was beloved in the region even prior to the expansion, and the bar to deliver was set very high. Only a short distance from downtown Portland, PDX has always been a destination where locals have been known to eat or shop—even if they aren’t traveling. The retail program boasts local food and local brands with no markups. The airport’s iconic “PDX carpet” even has its own cult following (just search the hashtag on Instagram).

Since the first phase of construction opened to travelers in August 2024, PDX has won multiple prestigious architectural awards, graced the covers of magazines, and received international media accolades. Fast Company even proclaimed, “The most stunning airport in America is now open.”

However, despite all his time spent abroad, Sandoval still thinks of the Philippines as home.

“Filipinos around the world can play a big role in shaping intellectual and creative direction on the global stage, but really, it would just be my dream to have the opportunity to bring all this knowledge and expertise back home.”

This article originally appeared in Robb Report Philippines’ Design Issue, July 2025.