Terminal B, Monterrey Int'l Airport
Location:
Monterrey, Mexico
Architect/Specifier:
Victor Marquez
Victor Marquez Architects (VMA) sought to design a building that fully integrated a structure, look, and energy-saving strategies.
VMA's concept consisted of a bio-skeletal structure "wrapped" by thermal layers, like a refrigerator or a coffee thermos, in order to isolate passengers from the long periods of harsh solar exposure in Monterrey.
The final design was a great success and the simulation model estimated savings up to 43% of the total energy consumption of a conventional building of its kind.
The complex structure was fabricated in steel to utilize the vast local supply, which is one of the strongest in the continent. The main nave is composed of a sequence of prefabricated organic frames, their shapes echoing the ribs of a gigantic whale. The geometry is based in an inverted double parabola, a structural solution inspired from nature, rarely seen before in a building of this scale.
The access canopy draws a monumental ellipse, with a gradual increase-decrease in its supports; the visual image has great impact and was inspired by the exoskeleton (shell) of an insect or a crustacean.
Terminal B was conceived to exalt emotions from users and visitors. It is streamlined and light, aggressive in artistic terms. Its interior spaces flow uninterrupted from hall to hall creating a powerful sensation of continuum. In parallel, the bio-skeletal structure adds the dramatic effect of rhythm and pause, filtering cascading natural light from the sky and creating a sweeping perspective from all angles.
A variety of Hunter Douglas architectural products can be found throughout the airport including Miniwave panels, Clip-in ceilings, Aerobrise louvers, 84R facade, and Softwave panels.