Airports – Flying colours

23 August 2022

Airports – Flying colours

Kay Hill investigates the move towards more sustainable airport buildings, despite some saying the only eco-friendly response is not to take the job at all

ACROSS THE WORLD, magnificent airports by famous architects make a statement about the wealth, prestige and aspirations of the countries they are in. A gateway to international visitors – and a pathway to fame for architects, these iconic buildings make a bold statement to the skies. From Eero Saarinen’s space age TWA Terminal at JFK airport in New York to Renzo Piano’s Kansai International Airport in Osaka and Foster + Partners’ vast Hong Kong airport that can be seen from space, time was when designing an airport was a surefire ticket to achieving architectural fame.

Beijing Daxing International Airport: Completed in 2019, this brand new airport, 46km south of Beijing city centre was designed to cope with 72 million passengers a year by 2025. Architects/Joint Design Team: Zaha Hadid Architects and ADP Ingeniérie. Client: Beijing New Airport Construction Headquarters. Design: Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumache. Lighting: Gala Lighting Design Studio. Image Credit: HUFTON+CROW

Now it seems, in the days of Greta Thunberg and COP26, there is nothing more guaranteed to create complete press office silence than to ask an architect to talk about their latest airport; which is possibly not surprising, considering the growing chorus of protest from architects who would rather their profession did not get involved in airport design at all. Pressure group Architects Declare, a network of architectural practices committed to addressing the climate emergency, has recently parted ways with founding members Foster + Partners and Zaha Hadid Architects, which both left the group after being criticised for working on airport projects.

Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport: Zaha Hadid Architects and Cox Architecture won the international design competition to design a new greenfield airport for Sydney’s new western Parkland City region, aiming to stimulate trade. Designed to serve 10 million annual passengers when it completes in 2026, by 2060 it is intended to be the largest airport in Australia. Master Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects and Cox Architecture. Client: Western Sydney Airport. Image Credit: ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS

It is an argument as heated as global warming itself – on one side, architects who believe it is morally abhorrent to do anything to encourage more people to fly, versus those who contend that flying will always be with us, so architects should use their skill to reduce the environmental impact as much as possible during the transition period to greener aircraft.

Image Credit: HUFTON+CROW

Architects Declare now has more than 1,000 UK signatories who have promised, among other commitments, to: ‘Evaluate all new projects against the aspiration to contribute positively to mitigating climate breakdown, and encourage our clients to adopt this approach.’ It is a promise that pressure group Architects Climate Action Network (ACAN) feels is incompatible with airport design, and prompted it to send out the challenge in an open letter to Foster + Partners: ‘Our network strongly believes that UK architecture practices should not be working to expand aviation in the midst of this climate emergency. Aviation is an extremely carbon-intensive mode of transport. Expanding aviation capacity cannot be reconciled with meaningful action to achieve the rapid global de-carbonisation that is urgently required.’

Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore: Connecting two existing terminals, Jewel, which completed in 2019, reimagines the centre of the airport as a public realm with gardens, an oculus in the glass roof that showers water down five stories to a forest-valley garden, and a shopping experience. The Rain Vortex, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, uses rainwater, flowing at more than 10,000 gallons a minute, to provide cooling and airflow for the comfort of 85 million passengers a year. Architect: Safdie Architects. Client: Jewel Changi Airport Development. Collaborators: RSP Architects Planners & Engineers. Landscapes: PWP Landscape Architecture. Façade and structural engineering: Buro Happold Engineering. Water feature: WET Design. Image Credit: COURTESY OF CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP

San Diego International Airport: The new terminal, replacing a 1960s original, will open in 2027 with an additional 11 departure gates. It will have a number of energy-saving features including new, redesigned taxiways to reduce aircraft taxiing times and greenhouse gas emissions, and an underground fuel-delivery system so that trucks will no longer be required for refuelling. It is intended to reach LEED Gold and will be powered by 100% carbon-free electricity. Architect: Gensler. Client: San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. Contractor: Turner-Flatiron. Image Credit: COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY

Architecture writer Christine Murray, editor of The Developer, pointed out on Twitter at the time of the row, that aviation is only responsible for a tiny percentage of global carbon emissions in comparison with general construction, and that singling practices out for criticism for choosing to put their skills to use in airports was counterproductive. ‘Instead, for example, could you write angry letters to all the practices specifying coal-fired bricks, concrete and stainless steel in, like, every single house extension and new house in the whole country?’ she tweeted. ‘Instead, you’ve got architects sitting back congratulating themselves for not designing airports they were never going to be asked to design.’

Shenzhen Airport East Integrated Transport Hub: A design based on the shape of the mangrove tree, a symbolic plant in the area, won Grimshaw the competition in 2021 to design a new LEED Platinum transport interchange at the Shenzhen Bao’an airport in China. The naturally daylit spaces will encourage walking as airline passengers transfer to high speed rail and other public transport. Architect: Grimshaw. Client: Shenzhen Metro Group. Collaborators: RSP Architects Planners & Engineers. Competition team: Mott MacDonald, China Aviation Planning and Design Institute, Beijing Urban Construction Design and Development Group, Schlaich Bergermann Partner, Atelier Ten and Gross Max. Image Credit: COURTESY OF GRIMSHAW GLOBAL

Despite the criticism from some of their peers, many larger practices that have been designing airports for years have continued to do so, creating stunning and remarkably energy-efficient and eco-friendly buildings. Zaha Hadid’s natural light-filled Daxing Airport, for example, has photovoltaic power generation throughout, centralised heating supported by a ground-source heat pump system, rainwater collection and a water management system via new wetlands, lakes and streams. The company also won a competition to design the new Western Sydney (Nancy-Bird Walton) airport, after putting forward a design that not only drew on traditional Australian themes from the veranda to the bushland, but integrated the extensive use of daylight, natural ventilation and water recycling to create a modular, energy-efficient design.

Chek Lap Kok International Airport Hong Kong: Completed in 1999, Foster + Partners’ 1.3km long terminal was the largest enclosed public space ever created and can be seen from space, with a shape like a giant plane. It was designing to handle 35 million passengers during its first year, rising to 80 million by 2040. Architect: Foster + Partners. Engineering design and management: Mott MacDonald. Archictectural steelwork: Arup. Collaborator: BAA plc. Contractors: AMEC, Balfour Beatty, China State Construction Engineering Corporation. Image Credit: COURTESY OF AIRPORT AUTHORITY HONG KONG

Delhi Noida International Airport: Grimshaw’s new airport in Uttar Pradesh, India, which is under construction will initially handle up to 30 million passengers a year, but with expansion plans in place to take up to 70 million, all while being carbon net-zero and reaching LEED Gold standard. Architect: Grimshaw. Client: Zurich Airport International. Competition team: Grimshaw, Nordic Office of Architecture, Haptic and STUP. Image Credit: COURTESY OF ZURICH AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL

In Singapore, Safdie Architects designed Jewel Changi Airport with an incredible indoor waterfall, the tallest in the world, that makes use of rainwater to provide natural cooling. Less dramatically, Gensler’s design for the new Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport has set refuelling lines underground, negating the need for refuelling trucks and has rearranged runways to minimise taxiing. The terminal, which is under construction, is intended to reach LEED Gold standard and will use carbon-free electricity.

Red Sea International Airport, Saudi Arabia: Divided into five mini-terminals, the dune-like roof shells of this new airport cantilever on the landside and airside to provide shade to the passengers. An internal green oasis with an indigenously planted garden forms a green focus, creating a relaxed, resort-like atmosphere. Due to be completed in 2022, it will deliver a million passengers a year to the new Red Sea Resort where Foster has also designed the Southern Dunes Hotel. Architect: Foster + Partners. Client: The Red Sea Development Company. Engineering subconsultant: WSP Global. Contractor: Aecom. Image Credit: COURTESY OF THE RED SEA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY

Foster + Partners’ Red Sea International Airport in Saudi Arabia, designed with roof shells in the shape of sand dunes to blend in with the desert landscape, will be 100% powered on renewable energy and is intended to achieve the coveted LEED Platinum sustainability rating. It has five departure lounge pods set around a central drop off – a configuration designed so that each pod can be operated independently while others are powered-down to conserve energy.

FlyZero: The FlyZero project masterminded by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute has unveiled plans for a 279-seater hydrogen-powered airliner that could fly from London to San Francisco without refuelling and with zero greenhouse gas emissions. It is hoped to be in operation by 2030. Image Credit: COURTESY OF AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE
FlyZero: The FlyZero project masterminded by the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute has unveiled plans for a 279-seater hydrogen-powered airliner that could fly from London to San Francisco without refuelling and with zero greenhouse gas emissions. It is hoped to be in operation by 2030. Image Credit: COURTESY OF AEROSPACE TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE

Grimshaw, a practice that has been designing airports for more than 30 years, is also aiming for LEED Platinum with the Shenzhen Airport East Integrated Transport Hub, which features flowing architectural forms inspired by mangrove trees. Natural daylight and economic use of materials contribute to a low carbon building – while complete integration with high speed rail and other public transport links minimises car use. In addition, Grimshaw is also working on the new Delhi Noida International Airport, with architecture firms Nordic Office of Architecture, Haptic and consultants STUP, which is intended to be carbon net-zero and reach LEED Gold standard. Th eir winning scheme includes an extensive, shaded forecourt and an internal landscaped courtyard to provide a peaceful space for passengers at the same time as bringing natural ventilation and daylight right into the heart of the airport.

Leeds Bradford Airport: A change of architect, a revised plan to demolish and replace rather than extend the existing terminal and a call-in to the Secretary of State for Communities meant long delays for this plan that was finally approved in 2021. The building will have a smaller physical footprint, becoming one of the most environmentally efficient terminals in the UK with a BREEAM Excellent rating. Architect: Todd Architects. Project manager: Todd Architects. Masterplanner: ADP. Heritage consultant: Turley. Image Credit: COURTESY OF LEEDS BRADFORD AIRPORT

Grimshaw is a signatory to both Architects Declare and the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, but is nonetheless convinced of the need for architects to continue to engage with airport design, stating: ‘We are concentrating our eff orts to understand how to better apply our expertise, knowledge and experience to help our aviation clients enact real change and respond positively and proactively to the challenges of carbon minimisation.’

It remains true, of course, that these undeniably beautiful, energy-efficient airport buildings also facilitate more people to fly – which, as things stand at the moment, is not a great idea for the planet. Foster + Partners’ Red Sea International airport will facilitate a million passengers a year by 2030 to visit a completely new tourist resort spread across 22 previously untouched islands. Daxing Airport was designed to expand from an initial 45 million passengers per year to 72 million by 2025 and ultimately up to 100 million passengers annually. Delhi Noida will attract 30 million passengers per year and Western Sydney International will be built in four stages of expansion, beginning with the initial stage of 10 million annual passengers by 2026, with further increments up to 82 million by 2060. For those wondering where it will all end; with no sense of irony at all, the authorities in Montana have just approved a $100 million terminal expansion at Glacier Park International Airport to enable more visitors to come to see the glaciers – which experts claim will have almost completely melted by 2030 due to global warming.

However, young Greta might be delighted that in some cases the tide seems to have turned against airport expansions despite all the eff orts of architects to put forward sustainable solutions. A $13 billion X-shaped airport for Mexico City, designed by Foster + Partners with Mexican studio Fernando Romero Enterprise, was scrapped entirely midway through construction after a change of president and a public vote, despite having won awards for its design. The project, being built from local, lightweight and carefully sourced materials, would have achieved LEED Platinum and was intended to be the world’s most sustainable airport. Meanwhile, a $3.8 billion upgrade to New York’s JFK airport was massively scaled back and, last year, the French government unexpectedly tore up plans for a huge new terminal at Charles de Gaulle airport, which would have facilitated an additional 450 flights a day. The French government did so on environmental grounds.

In the UK, though, it is business as usual, with both Heathrow and Leeds Bradford airports having recently been given permission to expand despite pauses, protests and delays. Behind it is Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s assertions that the UK government is focused on achieving ‘clean, green net zero aviation’ – which could ultimately be a game-changer for the industry. Remove the risk to the environment and the future could look very different.

Vertiports: Spanish company Ferrovial has just announced plans for 25 Vertiports around the UK for all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet aircrafts. The small aircraft will function much like taxis, and will recharge at the Vertiport, providing emission-free transport linking to existing transport hubs. The small landing areas will follow the same pattern as ones it is developing in Florida. Architect: Grimshaw. Client: Ferrovial Airports. Engineering: Mott MacDonald. Image Credit: COURTESY OF FERROVIAL

Spanish company Ferrovial has partnered with Mott MacDonald and Grimshaw to develop a network of more than 25 vertiports across the UK that will be served by electric eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) flying taxis from Lilium and Vertical Aerospace.

On a larger scale, the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute has unveiled plans for a 279-seater hydrogen-powered airliner that could fly from London to San Francisco without refuelling and with zero greenhouse gas emissions. FlyZero project director Chris Gear said: ‘At a time of global focus on tackling climate change our concept sets out a truly revolutionary vision for the future of global air travel keeping families, businesses and nations connected without the carbon footprint.’ The research project, which it is hoped will have aircraft in the skies by 2030, was praised by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, who said: ‘We are showing that truly carbon-free flight could be possible, with hydrogen a front runner to replace conventional fossil fuels. Fuelling planes sustainably will enable the public to travel as we do now, but in a way that doesn’t damage the planet.’ Similarly, in France, Groupe ADP announced it was working with Airbus, Air France-KLM and other French entities to explore the use of hydrogen at Parisian airports.

This keeps many architects engaged with airport projects – ensuring sustainable terminal buildings are ready for the next generation of aircraft. Grimshaw pointed out in its published Aviation Research: ‘The same technological development which has fast-tracked aviation and made it more affordable, accessible and a catalyst for economic development can be expected to bring us the solutions to the environmental, social and cultural impacts of aviation, guided by the application of comprehensive design thinking.’