BUS TERMINAL AND TRAIN STATION SQUARE BY VEHOVAR & JAUSLIN

Recently, the Swiss city of Aarau, a cantonal capital, has gained its own cloud in the shape of an organically formed bus station canopy with a reflective and semi-translucent skin.

The roof hovers, so to speak, above the forecourt of the railway station. However, unlike its meteorological namesake, this cloud provides protection from the rain and snow. As part of the construction of Theo Hotz’s new railway station in Aarau, the station forecourt and bus station have been given a new face.

Existing fixtures have been removed and the underground car park relocated so that the bus stops can now all be accommodated within Bahnhofplatz. Mateja Vehovar and Stefan Jauslin have designed a bus station canopy which looks as light as a feather, with the idea of creating a haven of calm between the busy Bahnhofstrasse and the new railway station.

This has created a welcoming zone for commuters transferring between the Swiss Federal Railways and Aarau’s regional buses, and a hangout for night owls which radiates metropolitan flair. At the centre of the air-cushioned membrane canopy is an organically shaped opening.  The contrast between the semi-transparent surface and the open air intensifies the impression of lightness and the feeling of being out in the open, yet essentially protected from the elements.

This impression has been encouraged by a series of strategic decisions: the use of a translucent membrane, both clear and blue-dyed, with a finely balanced print (by Stefan Jauslin with Paolo Monaco), the supports with their slight slant towards one axis which disappear into the cushion and carry the “cloud”, the varying distances between the membranes and the support structure inside, a technical infrastructure fully integrated into the steel construction carrying water, air, electrical and sensor technology, as well as the irregular network of stainless steel cables below the cushion which is designed to give the membrane the required span.

These multiple amorphous membrane bays break up the overall shape. They provide the numerous reflections and plays of light on the membrane skin, triggered by the linear luminaires arranged in line with the supports. The internal supporting structure is faintly discernible. Viewed obliquely, the supports fade into the background and the canopy gains volume.

Regardless of how light and simple the cloud appears, its design necessitated a skilled team of planners good at communicating, and close coordination of all the parties involved. For this reason, the architects Vehovar & Jauslin Architektur brought in formTL at an early stage as a specialist to deal with the support structure and membrane skin. formTL had a particular interest in ensuring that the design provided by Vehovar & Jauslin Architektur AG would be feasible, and in bringing out its lightness and filigree nature.

This was achieved by basing the planning and realisation on three factors: the planning team directed by suisseplan consistently pursued the aim of building the most airtight cushion with the most economical form of operation. The consortium entrusted with the membrane cushion now consisted of committed specialist firms. Moreover, formTL was given full control of the structural planning, integration with the building services engineers, invitation to tender, management of specialist construction work and quality control.

By fastening the three-part upper and lower membranes to the curved outside tubing separately, it was possible to achieve the simple and structurally clean detailing of the cloud. With 1070 m² of covered area and a volume of 1810 m³, the roof of the bus station is the world’s largest single-chamber membrane air cushion.

Four 120-metre long polyethylene tubes under the road supply the pneumatic air cushion with recirculated clean, dry air, and another four tubes take the air back to the air control unit. Depending on the weather, the entire system comprising support air system, tubing and membrane cushion is maintained by sensors at 300 – 850 pascals above the outside air pressure. As only the moisture has to be removed that is diffused over the 2140 m² cushion surface, and both the cushion and the tubing are more or less airtight, the roof is highly economical to operate.

Location: Aarau, Switzerland
Architects: Vehovar & Jauslin Architektur
Overall plan: Suisseplan Ingenieure + Planer, Aarau
Structural Engineering Roof: formTL, Radolfzell
Lighting: Atelier Derrer, Zurich
Traffic planning: Ballmer + Partner, Aarau
Electro planning: Hefti. Hess. Matrignoni, Aarau
Area: 8,806 m2

Underground Area: 1,062 m2
Covered Area: 1,070 m2

Air Volume: One air chamber with 1,810 m³
Year: 2014
Client: City of Aarau, Canton of Aargau
Photography: Mensur Zulji, Niklaus Spoerri

OPEN THE CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BY SOM

These days it is inaugurated Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2, the stunning new air hub designed by Skidmore, Owings &Merrill. Located in the heart of India’s financial capital, the new hub adds 4.4 million square feet of space to accommodate 40 million passengers per year.

By orchestrating the complex web of passengers and planes into a design that feels intuitive and responds to the region’s rocketing growth, the new Terminal 2 asserts the airport’s place as a preeminent gateway to India and underscores the country’s status as an international economic power.

The new terminal combines international and domestic passenger services under one roof, optimizing terminal operations and reducing passenger walking distances. Inspired by the form of traditional Indian pavilions, the four-story terminal stacks a grand “headhouse,” or central processing podium, on top of highly adaptable and modular concourses below.

Rather than compartmentalizing terminal functions, three symmetrical concourses radiate outwards from a central processing core and are therefore easily reconfigured to “swing” between serving domestic flights or international flights. Just as the terminal celebrates a new global, high-tech identity for Mumbai, the structure is imbued with responses to the local setting, history, and culture.

From the articulated coffered treatment on the headhouse columns and roof surfaces to the intricate jali window screens that filter dappled light into the concourses, Terminal 2 demonstrates the potential for a modern airport to view tradition anew. All international and domestic passengers enter the terminal headhouse on the fourth floor, accessed from a sweeping elevated road.

At the entrance, the lanes split, making room for wide drop-off curbs with ample space for traditional Indian departure ceremonies. From the moment of arrival, the terminal embraces travelers. Above, the headhouse roof extends to cover the entire arrivals roadway, protecting passengers and their guests from Mumbai’s heat and unpredictable monsoon weather.

A 50-foot-tall glass cable-stayed wall—the longest in the world—opens to the soaring space of the check-in hall. The transparent façade also allows accompanying well-wishers, who must remain outside of the terminal due to Indian aviation regulations, to watch as their friends and family depart.

Once inside, travelers enter a warm, light-filled chamber, sheltered underneath a long-span roof supported by an array of multi-story columns. The monumental spaces created beneath the thirty mushrooming columns call to mind the airy pavilions and interior courtyards of traditional regional architecture.

Small disks of colorful glass recessed within the canopy’s coffers speckle the hall below with light. The constellation of colors makes reference to the peacock, the national bird of India, and the symbol of the airport. Terminal 2 uses a high-performance glazing system with a custom frit pattern to achieve optimal thermal performance and mitigate glare.

Perforated metal panels on the terminal’s curtain wall filter the low western and eastern sun angles, creating a comfortable day-lit space for waiting passengers, and responsive daylight controls balance outdoor and indoor light levels for optimal energy savings. Strategically-placed skylights throughout the check-in hall will reduce the terminal’s energy usage by 23%.

Location: Mumbai, India 
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 
Site Area: 105 hectares 
Project Area: 4,843,759 ft2 
Number of Stories: 4 
Building Height: 45 m 
Design Completion Year: 2010 
Project Completion Year: 2014

HEATHROW NEW TERMINAL 2 BY LUIS VIDAL + ARCHITECTS

The new Terminal 2 opens on 4 June 2014 – the latest step in the transformation of Heathrow. It has been designed from the outset with the needs of the individual passenger at its heart and with sustainability as a guiding principle.

Designed by Luis Vidal + architects (LVA), the new terminal makes generous use of natural light, enhancing the passenger experience. Navigation is much more instinctive than is usual and, in addition, for the first time in a major UK airport, passengers will have immediate access to the gate areas, which will be within sight of the retail and catering facilities. The undulating roof maps the passenger journey through the terminal into three zones – check in, security and departures.

The unique design uses simplistic repetition in its elements, making it both fast and economical to build. The use of the natural lighting from the northern facing windows is diffused and reflected within the terminal by the use of a fabric roof lining. This is yet another first for HAL (Heathrow Airport Limited) and is just one element of an environmental strategy which aims to reduce the CO2 generated by the terminal by 40 per cent.

Part of this was because the fabric soffit that has been used on the roof interior was not one that had been used at Heathrow previously, except in one minor application. ‘We had to go through endless analyses to prove that it would work,’ said Luis Vidal. ‘We had to show that it could be cleaned, and that the acoustic properties were suitable.’ Even more important, the architect had to demonstrate that the combination of the geometry and the reflective properties of the fabric would allow a good quality of light – bright but not glaring. Using north light was a good start.

This provides the best quality of light in the northern hemisphere – the one with the least heat gain and the least dazzling. This is why artists’ studios are traditionally angled to use north light, and why saw-tooth factory roofs have the vertical lights facing north. It was important to ensure that at all times passengers had a comfortable experience, so the architect carried out detailed computer simulations and also built mock-ups at the Bartlett school of architecture.

In addition the architect devised a lighting system for the roof using subtle colour-changing LEDs. The lighting makes the roof form appear to float, adding to the sensation of lightness. The temperature of the colour of the LEDs changes gradually through the day. This means that although the passengers will not be aware of the changes, they will be in a lighting environment that echoes the effects of a typical sky – warm colours at sunset and sunrise, a cool blue at midday, and an indigo blue at night.

This should help to prevent some of the disorientation that comes with international travel, and will complement the actual sky which, unusually for air terminals, departing passengers will be able to see at all times. The sequence of the roof, and the view of the final destination, will lead passengers through the terminal in a manner that is as instinctive and natural as possible.

There will be no chicanes, no dark corners – and passengers will be able to see the departing aircraft as they progress through the terminal, both helping them with navigation and bringing back some of the excitement of air travel which has tended to vanish in the last few decades. The continued commitment to sustainable construction on Terminal 2 began before any of the new building had been erected, with the demolition of its predecessor.

More than 90% of the demolition material was re-used. Terminal 2A has been designed to be as energy-efficient as possible. In addition to the use of natural light, there are large overhangs to provide shading on the East and West facades, so minimising solar gain. On the South façade there is a brise soleil consisting of aluminium solid tubes and metallic louvers. In addition, there are a number of elements that will reduce the use of fossil fuels on the terminal.

There are photovoltaic panels on the south facade, and there is a combined heat and cooling power plant set up to operate either with biomass or with gas. Rainwater from the roof will be collected and used for non-potable uses. In addition, there are water abstraction bore holes both to provide water for flushing the WCs and exchanging heat with the power plant and the chalk aquifer in the subsoil. In fact, Terminal 2, will be the world’s first airport terminal to be awarded BREEAM rating for its sustainable building design.

Location: London, UK
Architects: Luis Vidal + Architects
Collaborations: Foster+Partners (Project phase), Pascall+Watson (Fit out) Project Team: João Abreu, Paz Armenta, María Astiaso, David Ávila, Eva Couto, Marta Cumellas, David Fernández Feito, Jose Luis Fernández-Moráis, Magdalena García de Durango, Isabel Gil, Raúl Gómez, David López, Jugatx López Amurrio, Álvaro Mayoral, Lourdes Moreno, Héctor Orden, José Parejo, Enrique Pérez, Francisco Rojo, Manuel Sánchez de Ocaña, Francisco Sanjuan, Carlos Sanz, Gentaro Shimada, Oscar Torrejón, Luis Vidal, Raquel Albarrán, Patricia Allona, Alejandra Alonso, María Álvarez-Santullano, Mar Araujo, Assier Aurrekoetxea, Laura Belmonte, Irene Capote, Eva Clark, Zelia Da Costa, Chris Dawson, Cristina DCotta, Oscar Ignacio Encabo, Sonia Ferreras, Ana Belen Franco, Amparo Galván, Marta Gálvez, Emilio García, Jaime Gimeno, Florian Graumann, Nima Haghighatpour, Andrés Infantes, Carlos Jiménez, Itziar Lamy, Reyes León, Patricia Lozano, Ana Claudia Mantovani, Paloma Martín, Álvaro Martínez, David Palomares, Jose Parejo, Sonia Pérez, David Pérez Escudero, Cecilia Piñeiro, Ángela Rodríguez, Arturo Romero, Beatriz Sendín, Teresa Serrano, Marcos Velasco, Aldana Zabala, Equipo F+P
Consultants: CARMA, CG. Proyectos, Davis Langdon Schumann Smith, Euroestudios, Fhecor Ingenieros, Fractal, Gleeds, HOARE LEA, Immodo, Merebrook, O.T. Ferrovial Agroman, REEF Associates Ltd, Siemens-Vanderlande, Solventa, Warrington Fire Research
Area: 200.000 m2

Cost: 880 M £
Year: 2014
Client: Hetco