Groupe 3 Architectes has completed an airport for the city of Guelmim, in Morocco, with a light filtering facade formed by multicolored metal mesh panels.
The airport, designed by the architecture office based in Rabat, is located on the site of an existing military base about three kilometers north of Guelmim, in southwestern Morocco.
The city is often known as the gateway to the desert, due to its position in the southern mountains of the Anti-Atlas, near the northwest edge of the Sahara.
The key criteria for airport design were simplicity, efficiency, environmental control and longevity, which was achieved through the development of a proposal that can be expanded if necessary.
"The main problem of the project was to provide the maximum amount of natural light and ventilation to avoid expensive technical equipment," the architects explained, "while optimizing the view of the surrounding landscape, which facilitates the movement and flow of building users" .
The airport is arranged on a line that runs parallel to the runways and was built in two phases.
The terminal was completed first and then joined by a couple of lower structures at each end that house a free trade zone and a duty-free zone.
The terminal building consists of two double-height rooms that contain the check-in, departure, customs and baggage claim areas.
The public areas of the airport look through large windows towards the landscape on one side and the tracks on the other.
The expansive glazed surfaces are protected from the desert sun by a screen made of colored metal panels that are suspended around the perimeter of the building.
The metallic surfaces are finished in a range of complementary colors to create a mosaic effect that aims to recall the traditional decorative styles of the region.
The panels are displaced along the facades, which helps to break the visual mass of the structure by introducing a dynamic pattern of light and shadow.
A section of the roof that extended along the spine of the terminal was removed to create a large patio with tension-proof umbrellas, which allows daylight to flow into the central areas of the building.
The photograph is by Fernando Guerra.
