Nelson Airport Terminal
The Nelson Airport Terminal is a new large span timber building overlooking the runway, with a stunning backdrop of Tasman Bay and the Western Ranges in Nelson, New Zealand. The requirement for a new terminal building arose out of the reality that the existing 1975 building no longer met building code requirements or functioned efficiently with the ever-increasing passenger numbers travelling through Nelson.
Photography by © Jason Mann Photography
The brief was for an airport that operated efficiently, both as a transportation hub and a safe and viable business, but also, aspirationally, one that reflected uniqueness to Nelson, connection to the landscape within the building, and extensive use of local materials. Two main strategies have been chosen to deliver on the expectation for an environmentally sustainable design; natural ventilation and the use of a mass timber structure coupled with a resilient seismic structural solution. Photography by © Jason Mann Photography
Utilisation of these initiatives enables Nelson Airport to differentiate itself and to set a precedent for the sustainable operation of an airport terminal building. The building takes a simple but sophisticated approach to achieve natural ventilation for the main terminal space. The building’s plan, height, and roof form are designed to maximise air movement and to utilise the air?s buoyancy when heated to rise up to high-level openings. Low-level windows bring air int...