Filigree construction made of steel and glass

The Aile Est airport terminal at Geneva Airport combines state-of-the-art passenger handling with high-quality architecture. Completed in 2021, the new building replaces buildings dating from 1975 that no longer met today’s standards in terms of technology and energy efficiency. In the new east wing for long-haul and non-Schengen flights, glass is the dominant stylistic feature that characterises both the building shell and the interior design. All visitor areas and pathways were implemented using profile systems from Forster. Its flexible design options meet the particularly stringent fire protection and safety requirements for airport buildings.

The newly built terminal handles up to 3,000 arriving and 2,800 departing passengers per hour. In addition to the twelve gates, the building includes two business lounges, various waiting areas, customs controls and commercial space. The new building is 520 metres long, 20 metres wide and has fully glazed main facades with an incline of 26 degrees. The geometry of the building structure, which represents a parallelogram in cross-section, lends the terminal building a feeling of lightness and elegance. The inclined glass facades underline the floating character of the terminal and offer passengers an unobstructed view of the runway and the Jura mountain range.

The new terminal also sets an example in terms of sustainability thanks to the thermally insulated building shell, a photovoltaic system and highly efficient heat pumps among other things.

Transparency and orientation

The construction in the form of an exoskeleton, i.e. a supporting structure outside the building, allowed the interior spaces to be flexible and airy. Glass walls, which are used to direct the flow of people, ensure plenty of daylight inside the building and make orienting oneself easier. The balustrades of the escalators and numerous doors are also made of glass and underline the architecture’s open, positive character. The glazing (which is up to four metres in height) inside the building is a key element of the high-quality interior, which impresses with its spaciousness and exciting views, despite the narrow building structure. The forster fuego light profile system was used for the glass surfaces and the fire protection bulkheads required in large-scale projects of this kind. It enables the implementation of fixed glazing with integrated sliding doors that guarantee horizontal and vertical escape routes in the event of a fire in accordance with the fire safety guidelines of the AEAI (Association des établissements cantonaux d’assurance incendie).

Aesthetics and safety at the highest level

The forster fuego light EI30 fire protection sliding door with escape route function impresses in the east wing as an architecturally appealing solution, as no additional emergency doors are required. This is because the fire resistant doors combine sliding and revolving functions in a single element. Opening of the side-hung element is triggered by panic touch-bars in accordance with EN1125. These so-called swing-out doors were specially designed and dimensioned for the Geneva airport terminal in order to provide optimal conditions for a quick escape in the event of a fire. In addition, the doors are equipped with a complex electronic access control system to meet the requirements of an international airport.

For the “Aile Est” project, the EI30 glazing was designed without high intermediate posts including accident protection and 90° corners. The flush elements offer maximum safety and at the same time allow maximum levels of daylight in the building interior. The tolerances of the building structure, which can be up to 8 cm, presented another challenge in this demanding project. The robust Forster profile systems made from 100% recyclable steel are able to absorb these movements without transferring the loads to the EI elements.

Geneva, Switzerland

Products:

EI30 fire resistant glazing: forster thermfix light

Fire protection sliding doors with escape route function, butt joint glazing incl. swing-out doors: forster fuego light

Architecture:

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, London (UK)

Atelier d'architecture Jacques Bugna SA, Geneva (CH)

Civil engineers:

Ingérop Conseil et Ingénierie (ICI), Rueil-Malmaison (FR)

T-ingénierie SA, Geneva (CH)

Client: Geneva International Airport

Photography: Damian Poffet