With its striking and distinctive design, the $750 million terminal of the Queen Alia International Airport, Jordan’s largest airport, is an iconic piece of strategic infrastructure. The building combines architectural style with technology and sustainable material choices to meet both the design vision and cope with the region’s demanding climatic conditions.

The design of the Queen Alia International Airport is inspired by the landscape and culture of the Levant region in which it is based, which includes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Cyprus, and some areas of Turkey and Iraq. The black flowing fabric of a Bedouin tent believed to be the inspiration for the design of its roof is the first thing incoming airplanes spot when landing from the sky. 127 domes branching out from supporting columns depict the palm leaves that speckle the local landscape. By the nature of its intricacies, the design of this project adopts both the unique petal shape of the building’s roof, as well as the concrete domes. Besides, one of the main challenges for this project is the extreme temperature fluctuation in the Levant region, with soaring temperatures during the day which significantly drop after dusk. Such dramatic fluctuations in temperature not only put a strain the efficiency of the energy performance of the building, in terms of maintaining a comfortable atmosphere, but also building expansion and contraction. 

The terminal is glazed on all sides to open up long views to the aircraft on the apron and aid orientation. Two piers of departure gates run along either side of the central building, which contains the main processing areas and shops, lounges and restaurants. Between these volumes, open-air courtyards draw on vernacular Arabic architecture and contribute to the terminal’s environmental strategy: the plants and trees help to filter pollution and pre-condition the air before it is drawn into the air handling system. In celebration of the tradition for family groups to congregate at the airport, the forecourt has been enlarged to create a landscaped plaza with seating, shaded by trees, where people can gather to bid farewell or welcome returning travelers. Logistically, it allows the airport to grow by 6 per cent per annum for the next twenty-five years, increasing capacity from 3 million to 12.8 million passengers per annum by 2030.

Source: kingspan