The Ilan and Asaf Ramon International Airport was designed by Amir Mann-Ami Shinar Architects and Planners in partnership with Moshe Zur Architects. The Airport, servicing the Red Sea resort city of Eilat and the surrounding region, was commissioned by the Israel Airport Authority (IAA) and was handled from A to Z by the architects in their role as Design Managers. Located in Timna, it is Israel’s first civil airport built from scratch (“greenfield”).

The Airport features a 45,000 sqm Passenger Terminal Building, a 3,600 m. long Runway and Taxiway, alongside 40 Aprons, allowing for domestic and international traffic. The two Support Structures to the north and south of the Terminal measure a combined 36,210 sqm with a 45 m. high Air Control Tower. Photography: Hufton + Crow
The architects developed a unique and minimal design language influenced by the futuristic world of aviation and its seemingly timeless natural desert surrounding. The decision of the IAA to appoint the architects as design managers responsible for a budget, program, and planning schedule, allowed for the architects to implement the design across the entire airport – from the various buildings to each individual check-in counter, unifying the airport under one unique holistic design.

The mushroom-like rock formations found in Israel’s National Timna Park served as inspiration for the initial geometry of the Passenger Terminal Building as a self-shading volume. Just as the ...