No place like the airport is where people just come and go. Despite they are meant to be constructed so as to make visitors feel comfortable while they’re waiting for their flight, some smart projectors truly went beyond this basic conception, thus creating architectural masterpieces.
The expansion program for the Edmonton International Airport, Canada, started in 2012, followed by Dialog Studio, and culminated in a purely amazing control tower, deeply respects this innovative approach to airports. This ambitious program perceives the final goal of keeping pace with the Alberta Capital Region’s economic development, and looking at the building, one could tell it’s been a success so far.
The vision behind this tower is to be memorable, at the very first and last sight: easiness of access to passengers, environmental respect, economic viability are the leading traits of this modern building, which stands out as an icon on the landscape, visible from a long distance on all sides. The unique design of the tower incorporates construction tips for a post disaster building.
The structure is wholly made of steel, even if the extraordinary reflection of natural light on curvy shapes of the game of terraces, created by the grounds overlapping, instils a sense of lightness and dynamism. Positioning and orientation of the complex are crucial: it’s not by chance that an optimal east/west solar orientation was employed to minimize solar gain from the western exposure thereby providing a comfortable interior work environment.
Edmonton International Airport is still not so famous worldwide. Nevertheless, if you come to this fast growing region of Canada, indulge yourself in the pleasure of this architectural jewel. It’s worth it.
July 4, 2014
Pforzheim University
Shenkar
Design Skolen Kolding
Academy of Design Australia
LOFT 42
World Architecture Festival
