IBA To Host Airport Design Competition
The Institute of Bermuda Architects [IBA] has launched a competition that will bring together the island’s young architects and designers in order to conceptualize and plan a redevelopment of the LF Wade International Airport entrance.
The competition will feature a formal opening and presentation of awards on August 15, 2014 at 6.00pm on the second level of the Washington Mall.
A spokesperson said, “With Bermuda being a jewel of the Atlantic and on the forefront of tourism and international business, it is essential for us to offer welcoming facilities to our tourists and leave an ever-lasting impression. As Bermuda grows as a country we are facing change everyday.
“This change brings growth and with growth we must look at our past, present and also our future. With architecture and technology changing our future as a nation, it is essential to design for the future while keeping ties with our culture and national heritage.
“The Institute of Bermuda Architects realizes this and has moved into action. By looking to Bermuda’s young architects and designers, they have created a competition that promotes growth to our island through architecture, design and master planning.”
“This competition is based on the entrance to our island LF. Wade International Airport, with a task to redevelop the existing airport and create a new and more efficient state of the art causeway.
“The design brief calls for architects to deliver a powerful impression, which represents innovation, hospitality and ingenuity. Revolutionizing our architecture and implementing these developments can propel our nation towards an international level of design and create future opportunities by stamping our island with an architectural agenda.
“With that being said, the Institute of Bermuda Architects would like to encourage the public to come out and support our local students on August 15 on the second level of the Washington Mall [the former Soundstage] with a formal opening and presentation of awards starting at 6.00pm. Donations shall be encouraged, and proceeds will go towards future events and student scholarships.
“Special thanks to the Bermuda International Airport, Ace Group, Mailboxes US Express, Washington Properties, [DMG] Design Flair, Discovery Wines, AJW Construction and Bermuda Blueprinting for their support in sponsoring the event.”
The IBA competition Project Outline follows below [IBA Showcase – Project Description]:
The Planning Department will never allow a design which makes a powerful impression, which represents innovation, hospitality and ingenuity.
The debt of this small island needs to be addressed before embarking on another grand spending plan.
tell me what is seriously wrong with the airport that has been a work in regress for the last 4 years?
fix the dam* unsightly bridge and causeway first.
Agree. Honestly, the causeway situation ought to have been dealt with long ago but I suppose it will always be the ugly stepsister to re-beautifying the airport.
like seriously… How about we address the fact we are still walking to and from the damn plane. Caribbean feel my a** – just tacky!
I don’t think “Caribbean feel” was ever a reason why or why not to have jetways to the terminal. Kind of a ‘tacky’ thing to say, frankly.
Our airport is small. Jetways are not cheap. Yes, it sucks when weather is poor, and of course it adds a layer of complexity for passengers needing wheelchairs or similar. I’d love to have them, but if it comes to cutting cost, that would be the first thing I’d forego.
@Really. I kinda like walking to/from the plane on the tarmac and steps instead of a jetway. Makes me feel like a celebrity. I’ve heard visitors say the same thing.
I second those above who say that a bridge/causeway re-design should take priority.
Entrance redesign!!!! How about a whole new terminal?? What we have is a disgrace built on a foundation from the 50s.
Look around. There are regional airport terminals far more traveler friendly than our hodge podge relic of the past. It really is an embarassment for a place that likes to think of itself as a prime destinastion & an international business center.
What’s that? There is no money!! Oh yeah…thats right. But Beyonnce came here & we have a school that overan bt over 100% & there is that $800M missing. Shucks…forgot about all of that.
Oh well… slap some more paint on the terminal. Make it go another 30 years.
So why didn’t you say all that to the UBP/OBA when they overspent big time on the refurbishment of the new old airport that’s so disgusting ? Well maybe I’ll answer that one for you , perhaps your family made a few bucks out of the substandard work !
You didn’t actually read the article did you? The students are coming up with concepts for a new terminal and crossing…
The first thing I’d do would be shorten Immigration lines. Visitors care much more about that than the facade of the airport.
When I traveled from Mexico back into the States, I experienced the same long line as our tourist do down L.F. Wade and the US have far more resources then us.
Where’d you go through, Miami? That place is notorious for its bottlenecks with security/immigration/customs.
That’s easy convert the entire ground floor to covered parking
raise every thing up one story because the place floods during hurricanes get the public to vote on it , and who do we blame for that original concept? the lady in white!
We could have our first passenger ramp to the second floor.
People should not have to walk in the puddles.
The airport building is a disgrace,it’s an old shopping mall design and needs a bulldozer to flatten it.
The NAS closed nearly 20 years ago and Bermuda has done nothing about changing the design all that time.
Any new terminal should be built on the Kindley Field Road side.
Easier said than done from somebody who has not thought things through at all.
It is not simply the terminal. To move it means moving the ramp & all of the infrastructure underground such as fuel lines. No small task or expense to build everything from scratch.
Again, if money had not been thrown away at ineffective advertising agencies, baseball games, silly ‘pop bye’ flags, so-called promotion trips to places we shall never see a visitor from, never mind the over budget local projects, we might have money for a new terminal.
@ Pressing
There are many dedicated, qualified and passionate people working at the airport, and they are in all the right positions to make a redesigned airport a thing. It most likely due to funding, but we will have a new airport someday, patience is all we need.
Can’t see why the plan has only the existing airport buildings shaded. Much like the original plan for the new hospital, if to be completely replaced a new location somewhere on the site needs to be used and then when finished move into it and bulldoze the old down. Can’t be done at the same site. Is this competition supported by the govt? It would seem that the govt are close to announcing something about the airport and causeway redevelopment as a PPP.
@ Turly
You are looking at an existing aerial shot of the airport, if you want to see the student designs you’ll have to come to actual show.
Those alternate causeway paths go right across acres of protected seagrass habitat. Why not just keep the causeway where it is, but raise it up on legs over the storm waves. Make the old causeway a foliage-enhanced foot path linked to the railway trail, perhaps.
Great Idea!
@Cicada
Perhaps that’s what the students have done, perhaps there is a viable reason for moving it. Who knows, lets see what happens.
Just like the they do in New York City with the old train bridges. Amazing stuff.
A great competition for our local architects. What is the prize?
Will the Government architects be entering? Coming fresh from the new Cistern Chapel restroom development at John Smiths Bay they must have a good chance of winning!
The place was designed by a committee along with all the others
we have no money for any more extravagant architectural monsters.