‘We wanted to prove we didn’t need air conditioning’: the airport cooled by natural ventilation
At Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, the ceiling design funnels a light tropical breeze into the terminal
TL;DR
- Roland Garros airport on Réunion island features a new arrivals terminal designed without air conditioning.
- The terminal's roof design creates a "canyon" that funnels natural wind into the building for cooling.
- Ceiling fans help circulate air, reducing the perceived temperature by 4-5 degrees Celsius.
- The airport has saved €150,000 annually in energy costs since the terminal opened.
- Carbon emissions are reduced by a factor of eight compared to a conventionally air-conditioned building.
- The design challenges the assumption that air conditioning is the only solution for heat comfort.
- The architects aimed to maintain outdoor air temperature while generating airflow for comfort.
- Lessons from this natural ventilation may be harder to apply in polluted mainland European cities.