HIGH FLYER - Madrid Barajas Airport

Construction of Madrid’s new RIBA Stirling prize winning Barajas Airport is now complete. The new airport came into operation in 2006 and is scheduled to operate at full capacity in 2010, when it will become a major European Hub, being the main connection between Europe and Latin America. It is expected to accommodate 65-70 million people a year, allowing for the predicted rapid and continuing rise in international air travel.

Richard Rogers Partnership (now renamed Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners) and co-architects Estudio Lemela won the international competition for the design of the new terminal, satellite, runways and ancillary buildings in 1997 together with two engineering company consortium members TBS and Initec. The design was chosen for its simplicity, adaptability and flexibility to allow for future changes and extensions.

The new buildings are designed to create a peaceful atmosphere, using a simple palette of building materials which allow passengers to easily orientate themselves with the many visual references and a clear progression of spaces.

Keim Mineral Paints Concretal Lasur was used to provide a longlife, protective finish to the exposed concrete elements of the design, in order to retain the ‘as-struck’ look and feel of natural concrete. The low pigmentation Lasur treatment harmonises any variations in the concrete and obliterates any mis-matched repairs to concrete damaged during the building process. It is available in a wide range of shades which can be used successfully where an opaque treatment would be out of keeping with the concrete aesthetics and also provides significant whole life cost savings. It’s longlife characteristics result from the chemical crystalline bond which the paint forms with the substrate, maintaining breathability whilst withstanding exposure to severe weather conditions. It is resistant to algae and mould growth, completely light fast, inherently non-combustible and environmentally friendly being odourless, solvent and VOC free and produced using only natural inorganic materials.

The newly extended Madrid Airport will shortly be in full operation and achieve its declared intent to be a truly 21st Century airport which creates a high quality gateway into Spain and the rest of Europe and which will be efficient, simple, economic and functional whilst satisfying the demands of its users for environmental quality.