An 800-square-foot room going up between Terminal A and Terminal B at San Jose Mineta International Airport will give overwhelmed young travelers something the airport's existing play area never had: a door that actually closes. The Nest by Nutanix, designed by the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, is aimed at children with autism and other sensory sensitivities, and it is expected to open later in 2026.
The project was designed with a climbable tree installation offering rope hammocks and hideaway spots, calming textures, soothing sounds, and interactive lighting and sound exhibits that change their displays based on visitor input, according to San José Spotlight. Rich Turner said the closing door will reduce sounds and overstimulation, a detail that marks a clear departure from the museum's earlier airport installation. The Nest differs from that older Zoom Zone children's play area specifically by having a door, since Zoom Zone was built as an open play space rather than a quiet retreat.
Airport spokesperson Ana State described the sensory room as the final piece of the airport's broader accessibility campaign, and said the project responds to a growing demand for assistance. San Jose Mineta officials have seen a rising number of requests for acclimation tours, and State said passengers who need support can get assistance from the moment they reach the airport until takeoff.
Families and Autistic Advisors Helped Shape the Design
The Children's Discovery Museum formed an advisory panel of local experts, educators, and roughly 30 families to guide the room's design, drawing on 20 years of experience designing exhibits and programs for neurodivergent children and their families. Vera Umansky, a doctorate candidate in developmental psychology at UC Santa Cruz who is autistic, participated in that advisory panel. Umansky said including autistic people and community members helps ensure the space actually meets autistic people's needs.
Jacqueline Kao, who took part in the Nest focus group series, said planning discussions had to address how to balance relaxation and play needs among different children, since some kids want quiet retreat while others want stimulation. Viviana Barnwell, who also provided input during the planning process, said the sensory room would relieve families of autistic children who currently have few options when travel becomes overwhelming.
Funding Still Being Finalized as Construction Continues
The Nest project costs roughly $2 million, with Nutanix contributing a $250,000 grant. Project backers are still seeking another $250,000 to cover ongoing costs. General contractor Swinerton Builders and architecture firm Corgan are both providing in-kind support to build the room inside the active terminal, a similar arrangement to the pro bono construction management that Hensel Phelps performed for the museum's 2021 Zoom Zone installation, per Swinerton.
San Jose Mineta has also adopted the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard Program, which gives passengers with invisible disabilities a visible marker so airport staff know they may need extra time or guidance. The voluntary program, which originated in the United Kingdom in 2016, has expanded to more than 350 airports across 70 countries, according to Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.
Part of a Wider Push at Bay Area Airports
The timing tracks with rising diagnosis rates nationally. Autism diagnoses have risen steadily over the past two decades, and per CDC figures, about one in 31 eight-year-olds received an autism diagnosis as of 2022 — up from a 1-in-36 rate reported from 2020 surveillance data, according to HHS.gov.
San Jose's project follows a similar move by its Bay Area neighbor. San Francisco International Airport opened its own sensory room in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 in December 2024, featuring an activity area, a calming space, and a full-scale aircraft cabin mockup, built in consultation with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and The Arc San Francisco. Sensory rooms have spread across U.S. airports over the past decade, inspired by pioneering spaces such as Presley's Place at Pittsburgh International Airport, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Nest builds on the museum's history with the airport, which stretches back to Zoom Zone's 2021 debut in Terminal B, according to Hoodline. That earlier play space was funded through a $240,000 gift from Zoom Video Communications, but the new sensory room is built around a fundamentally different purpose — de-escalation rather than open play — reflecting lessons the museum has carried from its long-running Play Your Way evening events, which offer children with autism and sensory sensitivities a quieter museum environment.
