Strong Winds and Rising Currents: A Design Proposal for the Grand Bahamas International Airport

Over the last decade, the islands of the Bahamas have been battered by a series of powerful hurricanes of increasing strength and frequency. The high winds and flooding that arrive with each storm result in significant damage to buildings and infrastructure. The Grand Bahama International Airport, located in the city of Freeport, has been a casualty of several recent hurricanes. In 2006, the documentary film and book, An Inconvenient Truth, generated greater awareness about the threats of global warming among architects and society at large. Although there has been substantial research into building components that can withstand windstorm and flooding, there has been less attention paid to comprehensive building design for climate change and “rising currents”. In the mid-2000’s the Grand Bahama Port Authority began exploring options to accommodate future growth of the airport complex. In 2012, our design team developed a concept for a new passenger terminal. The original Freeport airport terminal was completed in 1958, designed by Florida’s premier “tropical organic” architect, Alfred Browning Parker (1916-2011). Architects of Parker’s generation were not faced with the threats of global warming including the challenges of rising sea levels that are currently impacting sub-tropical regions. Our concept of an airport terminal is one that reflects the natural and cultural environments of the islands of the Bahamas while addressing the concerns of climate change. This design project draws upon primary and secondary research that included the analysis of a wide variety of airports built over the last eighty years from a functional, environmental and architectural perspective. Paralleling contextual design strategies such as those found in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport by Kisho Kurokawa (2000), our airport seeks to create a symbiosis between the climate and culture of the Bahamas. The plan and section of the new terminal fulfills the functional program while abstracting the land and sea formations of the Bahama islands. Culture and identity of the Bahamian people are revealed through the use of color, material and art. The proposed terminal building utilizes a basic structural system of column and plate raising the building off the ground safely above hurricane storm surges, facilitating air circulation and providing shelter for airport equipment and service vehicles. Performance based design strategies were used to assist in the development of the architectural design. Considerations regarding energy usage, carbon footprint, thermal load, day lighting, water usage, water catchment, informed the design process. The environmental effectiveness of the design is currently being analyzed and tested through the use of new building performance analysis software and the original digital building model. The design for the Grand Bahama International Airport passenger terminal seeks to minimize the effects of catastrophic weather events while utilizing and promoting sustainable design approaches. Local culture and sense of place are abstracted through architectural strategies based on a contextual language. By engaging with and acknowledging significant environmental and cultural characteristics, using contemporary materials and technologies, and employing performance based design analysis, this airport aims to foster an experience that is local, global and environmentally responsible.

Volume Editors
Anthony Abbate, Francis Lyn & Rosemary Kennedy

ISBN
978-0-935502-90-9