Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico – Terminal 2 of the Puerto Vallarta International Airport, one of the most efficient air terminals in terms of environmental sustainability, is expected to be ready to serve 5 million passengers by the end of 2024. The innovative terminal will boast a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project certification.
Among the reasons why architect Benjamín Romano – responsible, among other projects, for Torre Reforma – won the tender for the construction of Terminal 2 of the Puerto Vallarta airport (PVR), is the fact that his project avoided, as much as possible, the destruction of the surrounding forest and, contrary to this, uses technologies that take advantage of the environment and avoid its contamination.
“It seemed to me that it was a sin to cut down the jungle, and so the project was born. I took the opportunity to talk with a friend who does soil mechanics (Elvira León), to determine what was needed to use the land in a better way,” he said.
In an interview with A21, the architect assured that the initial approach of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) seemed to him to be a mistake, since they had hired a Spanish company to do the pre-design, in which they only determined the requirements of structure, like the number of rooms needed, the width of the corridors, the size of the migration area, and the amount of space needed for other things, like the baggage handling system, etc.
“In general, they proposed a one-story extended airport, and I, thinking about the jungle, said to myself: this is a human aberration. So I made the decision to build the project on two floors, which will reduce the footprint of the building by 50%. In addition, with that I rescued 50% of the pre-existing trees, ancient, precious trees, with cathedral roots,” the architect asserted.
The approach of making the new terminal NetZero was integrated, that is, it would produce zero polluting emissions, “and they loved my proposal to take care of the forests, take care of energy and water, because if we do not do it, society is going to complain,” he said.
In this way: “from the beginning the project I proposed a large roof extension with a farm of solar collectors and later, they (GAP) who are much smarter than me, obtained a green loan to be able to materialize it. In this way, some 4.9 years after I finish, GAP will stop paying for energy for the rest of the airport’s life; and in another equal term, the investment can be fully recovered.”
He added that, due to the heat in Vallarta, air conditioning is required everywhere and the solar panel farm is not enough to supply the entire property, “so what I proposed is a mechanism to release treated water in the middle of the terminal achieving a saving of 50% of the necessary energy use”.
Between the two floors for passenger arrivals and departures, there is another ‘floor’ in the heart of the building that is used to generate cold water, transform energy, generate emergency energy and handle luggage.
He also added a water treatment plant, with the goal of achieving ‘zero discharge’. “We put in a floor system with cells that will serve to store rainwater.” He added that, with the idea of recovering the rain, two large concrete walls are planned at each V-shaped foundation support, so that rainwater runoff is collected.
Additionally, the air terminal will be 100% accessible for the disabled. Where there are escalators, there will be two elevators, in case one breaks down. “We have redundant emergency plans. Everything is redundant at the airport: we have daylight that illuminates the entire structure without the need for artificial light,” he pointed out.
“For me it has been a great experience, learning and continuing to learn how to build an airport, it seems to me that GAP is super committed, with this LEED concept to which a pet ‘rest area’ was added, I did not offer it, they requested it, but it is something really impressive,” he explained.
The pet ‘bathroom’ is a closed room with synthetic grass and below it there is a floor like a tiled shower with a strainer, it also has a red (fake) fire hydrant, to attract the dog’s attention.
Opening in 2024
The construction is set to be completed on December 24. The architect specifies that 100% of the deep foundations have already been completed and between 75 and 80% of the superficial foundations are finished. “We already have four matatinas finished, out of a total of 21, we are doing well. My respects to GAP, they have it together, I think the project is going from strength to strength,” Romano said.
Upon delivery of the work, the Puerto Vallarta Airport will have a large restaurant, a VIP area, fast food outlets, a dining area, “and we will have something that no one else has in Mexico: some terraces so that passengers can wait for their plane outdoors,” he concluded.