IBA Competition Reimagines Island Airport

October 2, 2014

The Institute of Bermuda Architects [IBA] recently held a competition that brought together the island’s young architects and designers in order to conceptualize and plan a redevelopment of the LF Wade International Airport.

The competition featured a formal opening and presentation of awards on August 15, 2014 on the second level of the Washington Mall.

Both entries, one submitted by Kevin Simmons and another by IBA Student President Ché Caines and Korie Minors, were recognized as displaying “most innovative design.”

Mr. Caines said, “Being President of the student body for the Institute of Bermuda Architects is crucial with helping organize all design competitions.

“Not only did I help organize, but I was responsible for promoting the competition and also the IBA as a whole with the help of my colleague and friend Jonathan Castro.

“My responsibility is to reach out to the community of students that are interested in architecture and design and help encourage them to pursue this choice as we thrive from the built environment.”

Concept graphic submitted by Ché Caines and Korie Minors:

iba-design-che-caines-korie-minors

“With this support, students can be offered scholarships and internships in the field.

“This year’s design competition initially had 10 registered groups for a conceptual design scheme to redevelop the existing L.F. Wade International Airport and causeway. With two of these groups being international, we were prepared for a good competition.

“Unfortunately, as time went on groups began to realize the overall complexity of the brief and backed away, resulting in two groups presenting.”

“The overall time given to all groups was four weeks to develop a site plan, floor plan, one section, and numerous renders. With this project being very conceptional, a four week time frame was more than enough to get ideas on the table.

“This competition was not just based on architecture, but also creativity, time management, and knowledge and understanding of the existing context.”

Concept graphic submitted by Kevin Simmons:

iba-design-kevin-simmons

When asked about his own future in architecture, Mr. Caines said, “The plans I have set for my future in architecture is to firstly become a qualified architect. As I have a bachelors degree in architecture, I am currently taking my [part II] internship and, once completed, I will take on my Masters in architecture and master-planning.

“My future goal is to establish my firm on the island and hopefully grow abroad to international cities.”

With Mr. Caines goal to establish himself as an architect here on the island and the competition only barely behind him, he was clear on the project he would most like to design in Bermuda if given the opportunity.

“If I had the opportunity to design any project on the island, I would have to choose the airport. The airport is a place where Bermudians and non-Bermudians enter.

“This is the first threshold we pass once arriving on the island.

“This is also the highest used building on the island, with international flights and tourists coming through the doors everyday. The airport is the heart of our island and it deserves to be designed with care and attention to detail.”

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Comments (6)

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  1. kilometer says:

    Is there a showcase of the submissions somewhere?

  2. eye in the sky says:

    and these show what exactly?????

  3. Terry says:

    Cool.
    Make a few new buildings.
    Can’t change the runways et al.
    Hardly anyone comes by air stat wise.

    It’s all good.
    Now find the money to do this whilst employers reap but fail to pay taxes for those that made them.
    I need a rum.

  4. mumbojumbo says:

    Any improvement really,did we intenionally ignore the causway?Look integrate hydro electric into the bridge,design as you must bur keep it functional and consider modular systems aas we should be able to repair sections if neededthat whole area is full of unnused electricity,both hydroelectric and wind sun as well.Build it to last,it requires eectrcity the wholee ferry reach could have led down lighting conceivabley , why not incorperate fishing areas…let’s pull all those stomes out of the grotto bay side too.

  5. Climate Change says:

    Great designs, but the whole airport peninsula is projected to be submerged within a few decades due to sea level rise induced by climate change. Solving that is the real challenge…