USD is part of the winning design team for the Noida International Airport, in Greater Noida, India

In November 2019, Zurich Airport International selected Nordic – Office of Architecture, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP to design “India’s greenest airport”.

In the midst of a pandemic and an economic slowdown, India is planning for the future. In early October the Government of Uttar Pradesh signed the concession agreement with Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) to commence the development of the Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar for a period of 40 years. YIAPL received the security clearance from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to develop the Noida International Airport at Jewar in May this year, after winning the contract to build and operate Noida International Airport (NIA) in Greater Noida in November 2019.

After a design competition between June and August 2020, Zurich Airport International has selected a consortium consisting of Nordic – Office of Architecture, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP as the architects to design the passenger terminal of Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar, with the support of Urban Systems Design for the Environmental and MEP Design, alongside other consultants. The winner was selected from three shortlisted teams with demonstrated experience in airport design - Gensler / Arup; Nordic, Grimshaw, Haptic and STUP; SOM / Mott McDonalds. The design competition was conducted under exceptional circumstances given all the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The design team brings experience from a range of world-class airport projects; including Oslo Airport, dubbed the world’s greenest airport upon opening its extension in 2017, and the world’s largest airport terminal under one roof – Istanbul Airport. As Zürich Airport stated: The winning design best fits the defined project objectives: merging Swiss efficiency and Indian hospitality, creating a modern and seamless passenger experience, setting new benchmarks in sustainability for airport terminal buildings in India, envisioning green spaces inside and around the building, offering a concept for a future airport city, and providing flexible expansion options to serve 30 million passengers per year in the future.

The design of the airport will encompass parameters such as short and efficient passenger flows, digital services and commitment to minimal environmental impact. Once complete Noida International Airport will serve the fast-developing industrial region between Delhi and Agra, its investment will support the Governments of India and Uttar Pradesh through infrastructure development and job creation.

In a country that is already pushing the boundaries for sustainable aviation infrastructure, the aspirations are high, with Carbon Net-Zero operations being mentioned as possible goals for the project. The winning design scheme includes an internal landscaped courtyard deep within the terminal plan, delivering ventilation, daylight, and passenger experience benefits. Externally, the proposed design included a new landscaped forecourt, providing a regional destination for the public, staff, and passengers with an unforgettable sense of place.

One can write “Sustainable airport design”– but what does this really mean? For some people, it will always be a contradiction in terms due to the global impacts of air travel on carbon emissions. However, for NIA, we in USD see it in terms of embracing both technological developments and environmental design as an integral part of the project, a thread running continuously through the design development of the building itself and post-completion into its operational performance. NIA should become a reference point as to how truly integrated design delivers both quality and value; this being both in the end user's experience - be it passengers or staff alike - and the client’s financial investment.

Kartikeya Rajput, Associate from USD, highlights that: “The architectural design of the terminal building is integrated with best practices of sustainable innovations to minimise energy demand and achieve high sustainability targets, striving to become India’s first Net-zero emission airport in terms of fuel and electricity consumption.”  In addition, Kartikeya reinforces the cultural values of the environmental design approach when he says that “The design of the terminal building draws its inspiration from rich Indian culture and sustainable practices. The airport building will include traditional sustainable building design elements to provide low energy design solutions and will offer a vibrant, welcoming experience for travellers.”

The Environmental and MEP Design approach for the NIA project focuses on the Terminal Building while keeping a view on the broader picture of the airport's sustainability as a whole. The following are the number of key strategies and themes considered essential for a holistic sustainable design approach:

• Excellent passive design (to reduce energy and water demand);

• Reducing embodied carbon within the Terminal Building (as part of its construction and operation, including replacement and refurbishment cycles);

• Minimising operational energy use;

• Utilising ‘alternative technologies’ to either reduce demand for mechanical ventilation and cooling and/or improve the airport

• Experience for passengers through passive means;

• Integration of on-site Renewable Energy;

• Helping develop strategies for generating biofuels;

• Waste minimisation and management;

• Minimising demand for water.

Klaus Bode, Director of USD, defines the design of the Noida International Airport as: “One that will define a new genre in airport design by truly interweaving local Indian culture, lessons learned from the past and inspired by vernacular architecture, with environmental design and digital technology into a singular efficient people centric terminal – easily identifiable as being unique to its context whilst also being very much future focused.”