Hewanorra International Airport, St Lucia

Location: Hewanorra, St Lucia

Status: Ongoing

Sector: Aviation

Client: AECON

A tribute to the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia is made through the sinuous exterior acting as a natural extension to the “terrain” – local mountains and “seascape” – vibrant colours and waves that envelop the island and sit, beneath and within, the proposed “floating” cantilevered roof form. Directly below the floating roof we propose a system of horizontal glass louvres to allow hot air to escape at high level from the Departures/Arrivals concourse. This facilitates better humidity control and lower operating costs for the proposed sustainable and eco-friendly terminal design. The immersive Caribbean feel is enunciated via the constant flow of the local foliage from surrounding landscape penetrating into the new terminal, integrating and connecting each level up to the feature “eco-cells” in the departures lounge.

About this project

The building envelope proposed is a solar controlled glazed curtain walling system with sliding / folding doors at main entrances which can be opened when terminal is operational and closed when it is not and during extreme periods of inclement weather. The sun-shading “vertical louvres” are integrated into the main facade of the terminal and are designed to reflect the local terrain and waves of the ocean and a similar more vibrant vertical louvre is proposed internally behind the check-in desks, to reflect the beautiful natural St Lucian landscape and seascape.

Additional insights

The airport master plan is driven where possible by a sustainable and bio-climatic design agenda incorporating innovative green features, passive energy strategies and extensive selection of locally sourced materials, which include stone clad pillars that surround the concrete column structure, timber sourced from local sustainable forestry for solar shading and eco cells brimming with St Lucian botany for temperature regulation and transparency throughout the airport ensuring efficient processing of passengers. Eco-cells link the indigenous vegetation to the departures lounge and provide an opportunity for passengers to still feel a part of the island while waiting to board their flights, providing a relaxing end to the start of their return journeys.