Airport Paphos

Paphos, in the Greek section of Cyprus, is located close to the capital Nicosia. Paphos Airport is to be extended and the old terminal building restructured. Paphos is a charter airport situated directly on the Mediterranean and is only used sporadically at certain times of the year. While traffic frequency is low in November and March, the airport is overloaded in the summer and autumn months.

The archaic concept envisages a flat building with a large, square-structured and extendable roof, which meant that we planned only a few gate docking positions. Most of the aircraft positions are on the airfield and can be reached by bus. A simple correlation exists between passengers’ arrival at the terminal forecourt and their boarding of the plane. The roof is naturally ventilated using air fountains on the airport apron. Air is sucked in and flushes the airport. Air tower fans allow air to flow into the building where it escapes through the sheds in the roof. Energy consumption of the airport has been reduced as far as possible. Due to the seasonal nature of its business, the airport size can be reduced.

Parts of the day-to-day operations of the airport can be divided up so that only half or a quarter of the capacity is available. The roof has transparent and closed sections. The structure of the system is based simply on columns, beams and light concrete frameworks. Glass and closed parts are arranged in semi-transparent and opaque elements. The vertical surfaces are always transparent. We deployed photovoltaic elements.

The design exploits the difference between coolness and extensive heat for natural ventilation. The air is cooled by a ground canal system. The wind flowing through the pylons is extracted downwards, earth-cooled and conducted into the hall.