The León Airport project consisted of the construction of a new Terminal Building for domestic traffic. It was decided to develop an infrastructure that would complement the existing infrastructure in terms of the existing terminal building, the interventions on the service road and the surface accesses on the landside. A new outdoor transformer station was also implemented to serve the new terminal.
During the design, energy savings and efficiency were promoted. All objectives were achieved with the lowest possible environmental impact.
Design criteria for León Airport
Unitary design
It is essential to maintain strict discipline in order to achieve cohesion between the various elements that make up the building.
Functional zoning of León Airport
The spatial proposal clearly organizes the different activities, grouping them into volumes that follow the functional process. These volumes are articulated to create the desired spatial sequence.
Flexibility
The volume of the building adapts at all times to the specific needs of each activity or function, while maintaining the same design principles.
The systematic repetition of the same building section along the transverse axis of the terminal is a key concept underpinning the flexibility and, therefore, the architectural solution chosen. In a building of this magnitude, this type of modulation offers multiple benefits to the project.
Architectural description
The new terminal building was located to the southwest of the existing terminal building, creating a restricted access road between the two.
The envelope of the new building emphasizes the sense of natural flow, both when approaching from the landside and arriving from the airside. Different canopies and transition elements guide the path from the landside to the gate concentration area.
The boundary of the building is defined by a large volume, characterized by a glass curtain wall and a large longitudinal skylight, also made of glass, which generate a spatial perception of great amplitude.
Protected by a light roof supported by 12 large-span metal ribs, the new terminal building has an almost rectangular floor plan. The main structural grid on the ground floor is 10 m x 10 m, although it varies in some areas of the building, due to its orientation not perpendicular to the horizontal ground plane.
On the air side, a row of concrete pillars supports the roof and the upper slabs.
The facades of the building are glazed on the larger sides, while the smaller sides remain blind, with the inclusion of some openings, also in glass.
The new Terminal Building at León Airport has not only expanded the operational capacity of the infrastructure, but also represents a significant advance in design, efficiency and passenger experience, consolidating the airport as a key connection point in the region.