Envisioning a green future

Envisioning a green future

Chennai airport will soon be a climate-responsive and energy-efficient building, thanks to the range of strategies adopted by the Airports Authority of India, in a step towards sustainability and conservation of resources.

Airport terminals are subject to frequent external expansion and internal changes due to increasing passenger volumes and evolving terminal design thinking. Energy consumption of the terminals is very high because of the lighting, ventilation, air-conditioning, and conveyance systems.

The sustainable construction of the new Chennai airport terminal has been designed and spearheaded by AECOM (an American engineering company) to achieve the four-star rating of Green Buildings Rating System India (GRIHA) and implement new design laws as per the government mandate (NBC 2016, ECBC 2017). The objective behind this mission is to translate observations into insights and insights into products that will improve the living standard and reduce global warming.

The modernisation plan of the Chennai International Airport (phase 2) comprises a new integrated domestic and international terminal building and associated city-side facilities covering an area of 2,22,000 sqm to create a sustainable green airport. It includes the demolition of the old domestic terminal (T-2) and old international terminal (T-3) and reconstruction of an integrated domestic and
international terminal.

The new terminal building will handle a volume of about four million domestic passengers and a minimum of 10 million international passengers per annum. The year-round warm, humid climate of Chennai makes the buildings more susceptible to the strong effect of the sun’s movement. The new design of the roof will reduce direct insolation inside the terminal building, thereby reducing the cooling load of the building. A reflective roofing membrane and paving design to reflect heat from the building to combat the accelerated heat island effect is a unique feature. 

With a focus on innovative energy solutions, the building will have suppression systems and extinguishers free of halon. Other sustainability aspects include water conservation, rainwater harvesting, and an onsite sewage treatment plant along with the use of
environment-friendly materials. 

The mega project, expected to be complete by the end of 2021, is anticipated to achieve 78.57 percentile points and GRIHA four-star rating with the proposed design.