Acapulco Airport

The new Acapulco Airport will increase passenger capacity to 1 million annual passengers and establish a new regional air hub in Mexico’s largest resort city. The project’s strategic aims are met by a state-of-the-art terminal building, which will provide the highest levels of comfort for passengers and will set a new environmental benchmark for airport buildings in Mexico. The design is rooted in a sense of place— both responsive to the tropical climate of the Pacific Coast and inspired by local forms and materials.

The terminal building welcomes the city’s guests and locals with a tropical look that takes travelers back in time to the International Modernist Movement. An undulating roof echoes the Pacific Ocean in the distance and shades the entire airport, while letting in light through openings and skylights.

The undulating roof is made out of prefabricated dome units for lower production costs and construction efficiency—a method inspired by the vernacular architecture in Acapulco. Inside, the folded façade creates shadowed space, while vegetation refreshes the interior. Green building strategies include using the exposed thermal mass of concrete soffits with chilled beams for cooling, reducing energy demands through carefully-oriented shaded facades, and the use of natural ventilation.

YEAR

2014

STATUS

Competition

SCALE

12,314 m² / 132,547 ft²

LOCATION

Acapulco, Mexico

 

PROJECT CREDITS

Arup

 

CONTEXT

The terminal gives foreign visitors their first impression of Acapulco. The design features passive ventilation and the internal lighting provides an even distribution of light. Referencing the architecture of Acapulco’s Golden Age, the design centers on a simple structural grid consisting in vaulted concrete units that organize the interior.

 

TEAM

Fernando Romero, Mauricio Ceballos, Sergio Rebelo, Brian Slocum, Raymundo Zamora, Liliana Viveros, Fernando Torres, Alejandra Barnetche, Max Sanjulian, Celia Julve, Ruoting Wang, Yuri Jeong, Miguel Marques, Salvador Mora, Nadezda Stankovic, Diego Velázquez, Libia Castillo, Alonso Rosales, Hugo Vela.

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