‘We wanted to prove we didn’t need air conditioning’: the airport cooled by natural ventilation

AI Summary

Roland Garros airport on Réunion island uses natural ventilation instead of air conditioning, capitalizing on the island's tropical breeze for cooling. The airport's design includes a ceiling that funnels light tropical air through the terminal, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional cooling methods.

At Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, the ceiling design funnels a light tropical breeze into the terminal At the arrivals terminal at Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, visitors are greeted by floor-to-ceiling windows framing the lush green mountains of the French Indian Ocean territory. What they may have also expected was the icy chill of air conditioning; this island just off Madagascar sits in the tropical zone to the south of the equator. But instead, the terminal is cooled by a light tropical breeze, the result of natural ventilation built into its unique design. Continue reading...