Djibouti International Airport

This proposed international airport looks to replace the existing one, and is located six kilometers from the city center. Designing in one of the hottest environments in the world, passive cooling strategies are an essential part of the design. The overall plan reflects the motifs that were found in the necklaces from a Djiboutian wedding. This lends itself to the radial nature of design that allows a small 6 terminal airport to be highly efficient.

Arrivals are located at the ground level and the departure gates can be found at the elevated roadway parallel to the concourse. The Djibouti crest is integrated into the structural cross braces. PV panels tightly line the roof to block solar exposure. A radial sawtooth roofline allows for the passive movement of air through the building by thermal buoyancy to create the stack effect. An exterior tensile skrim clads the rest of the project that is suspended from an independent structure that shades the whole site. This sun screen will be designed by a local artist with traditional methods to exemplify their unique cultural traditions at an international scale.