The air dressers...

When it came to creating a visual identity for Skukuza Airport in the heart of Kruger National Park, South Africa, the focus was on designing an airport inspired by its natural environment.

The iconic design of Skukuza, which operates under the control of Skukuza Airport Management Company and is served by South African carrier, Airlink, as well as catering for private and charter flights, resembles more of a luxury private lodge than it does an airport terminal.

Having been completed in 2014, the airport’s design is also one that has stood the test of time.

One of the key objectives of the building design was to limit any intrusive visual impact on the surroundings by blending the structure into its surrounding natural environment.

The terminal’s open-plan layout, thatched roofing, raised timber frames and a central water feature, alongside the use of natural shapes and the palette of soft, neutral, colours all help to place the building at one with its surroundings.

Even the landscape design team worked closely with Kruger Park environmentalists, nursery and plant specialists to identify protected species, which were incorporated within the terminal layout.

This concept of safeguarding the local heritage through innovative design was also key to the redesign of Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania, which was completed in 2019.

A gateway to one of east Africa’s most popular tourist destinations, the airport was originally built in the 1970s to accommodate 600,000 passengers. However, having added new routes and achieved strong growth in passenger traffic over the last decades, the air transport hub had exceeded that capacity.

Netherlands-based airport consultancy and engineering firm, NACO, was brought on board at the early stages of the airport’s revamp to work on its masterplan and new design.

Marcel Langenslag, director aviation at NACO explained: “Central to rebuilding the airport was the need to improve upon the original architecture with a safe, sustainable design that enabled future development and growth. Also integral to the project was the need to deliver greater efficiency and a more commercialised passenger experience, while celebrating the local culture and community.”

One of the key inputs for any airport design project, noted Langenslag, is the need to take the local climate conditions into account. “For Kilimanjaro Airport we had to bolster climate resilience and factor in the significant rainfall the region experiences, as well as the dust. The airport’s original design featured a big courtyard, which was open to the elements. However, when it rained that space was completely unusable. So, we created a covered roof terrace, which enabled this space to be permanently available to passengers. We also created a louver system that kept the lounge space open and provided natural ventilation, which limited the need for air conditioning.”

NACO is also involved in plans to upgrade Cape Winelands Airport in South Africa.

Explaining that the owners of the privately owned hub hope to turn it into Cape Town’s secondary airport, Langenslag said: “What’s exciting about this design project is that the owners are determined to build an airport that makes a statement. They want to build something futuristic, but to maintain that sense of place.”

Meanwhile, in west Africa, another air transport hub that has garnered attention for fusing contemporary architectural elements with local design inspiration is Terminal 3 at Kotoka International Airport in Ghana.

The terminal, which totals around 45,000sqm, has been designed to process five million passengers per year. Design and engineering firm, Arup, was appointed to provide comprehensive airport planning, as well as architectural design and engineering services for the construction of the terminal.

“We focused on providing solutions driven by quality, safety and functionality, while preserving the design features of the terminal,” explained Conor Hoey, Arup Europe business aviation leader. He added that the check-in area, which features brightly coloured motifs on the walls and similar patterns on the floor tiles, was designed to reflect Ghanaian culture and values.

The terminal’s entrance hall features an intricate lattice work of steel trusses, a structural design element that is found throughout the terminal’s five levels. To optimise the logistics and delivery, the steel beams were prefabricated in Turkey by Mapa Construction before being assembled on site. “Ensuring the terminal’s structural safety, while keeping the architect’s distinctive design elements, was one of the key challenges of the project,” said Hoey.

Like Langenslag, Hoey also noted that local climate and weather conditions have an impact on design. “No matter where you’re building, local conditions are always a significant consideration, as is the requirement for sustainable design.”

The need to reduce embodied carbon and design operationally efficient buildings, said Hoey, is core to all Arup’s construction projects. “The choice of materials and glazing, the type of roof, as well as the choice of heating and cooling systems, are just some of the criteria which greatly inform the overall solutions. At the same time, they also ensure that an airport can operate in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner.”

Whether it’s building a terminal from the ground up or revamping an existing one, the desire to incorporate smart, sustainable design is echoed across the continent. Langenslag pointed out that creating a facility that can achieve net zero emissions as quickly as possible is integral to the future of Cape Winelands. “The owners want it to be off grid and to achieve net zero as soon as they can. They’re pulling out all the stops to make sure they achieve this as they will be building the new airport from scratch.”

He also noted that, at Kilimanjaro, the use of local materials, as well as the ability to incorporate natural ventilation and ensure the availability of local maintenance capabilities were all key, not just in embracing environmentally friendly practices within the airport’s build, but also in terms of being able to service it in the future.

The new Bugesera Airport in Rwanda, which is currently under construction, is another example of a facility that is embracing sustainability within its design.

International consultancy, Dar Group, has been tasked with overseeing the latest design as well as the construction of the greenfield air transport hub.

Speaking at Aviation Africa 2022, Elie Kharrat, partner and director of operations Rwanda and Mozambique for Dar, underlined that the aim is for all the airport buildings to be leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) certified. “We will use solar panels alongside other renewable sources and measures to achieve our sustainability goals, in line with Rwanda’s green objectives and to help achieve the highest possible level of LEED certification,” said Kharrat.

Another trend being seen in airport design across the globe is the desire to implement more automation and self-service solutions, such as bag drop and check-in kiosks. “In some cases, African airports are also beginning to request biometric solutions,” said Stephan Castagnetta, Amadeus airport and airline operations, EMEA.

He added: “The use of biometrics has design implications within the terminal. For example, it can help reduce queues at document checkpoints and, therefore, has the potential to free up space both land and air side.” This in turn enables airports to focus on value-added retail and hospitality services.

Cloud-based solutions are also proving popular when it comes to enhancing the passenger journey while futureproofing an airport’s design and development. “If an airport decides to migrate to the cloud, that has an immediate impact on design inside the terminal,” added Castagnetta. “Removing the need for on-site servers allows an airport to better utilise space to improve passenger flow and increase capacity.”

Amadeus’ airport cloud use service (ACUS) solution was deployed remotely at Nouakchott Airport in Mauritania during the pandemic. It was installed as part of airport operator, Afroport’s, wider transition to Amadeus flow – a cloud-based platform for delivering passenger services, which is also available at Cape Verde Airports – to help modernise the west African hub.

Whether it’s incorporating innovations in technology to make better use of space, making use of local building materials, or creating a terminal that embodies the local heritage, airports across the continent are embracing the latest design trends to ensure they leave a lasting impression on passengers.