Mexico City’s new international airport, designed by Foster + Partners, FR-EE, and NACO, is set to revolutionize airport design. The massive 743,000 square meter terminal will be housed under a single, continuous lightweight gridshell, creating a flowing form reminiscent of flight. This innovative design eliminates the need for internal trains or tunnels, ensuring short walking distances and easy navigation for passengers.
The airport’s design prioritizes passenger experience. Its intuitive layout minimizes level changes and walking distances, creating a seamless journey from arrival to departure. Natural light floods the terminal thanks to the expansive glass and steel structure, enhancing the sense of space and creating a welcoming atmosphere. The flexible design anticipates future growth, accommodating projected passenger increases to 2028 and beyond. This development will also serve as a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding area.
Drawing inspiration from Mexican architecture and symbolism, the airport boasts monumental scale with spans exceeding 100 meters – three times that of a conventional airport. The maximum internal span reaches an impressive 170 meters. The lightweight structure, composed of glass and steel, and the soaring vaulted roof are engineered to withstand Mexico City’s challenging soil conditions. Furthermore, the unique pre-fabricated construction system allows for rapid assembly without scaffolding, showcasing Mexican innovation and relying on local contractors and engineers.
The building’s services are ingeniously located beneath the structure, leaving the roof clear of ducts and pipes to reveal its environmental skin. This sustainable design harnesses solar power, collects rainwater, provides shade, maximizes daylight, and offers panoramic views. All of this is achieved while maintaining a high-performance building envelope that meets stringent thermal and acoustic standards.
Targeting LEED Platinum certification, the airport leverages Mexico City’s temperate, dry climate to utilize displacement ventilation principles, filling the terminal with fresh air. For a significant portion of the year, comfortable temperatures can be maintained using almost exclusively outside air, minimizing the need for supplemental heating or cooling. The airport is planned on a new site with three runways, with an expansion plan to accommodate six runways by 2062. This ambitious project promises to redefine the future of airport design and solidify Mexico City’s position as a global aviation hub.
