Vir Savarkar Airport

• Function: Airport
• Architect: Vector Designs, Pune
• Material: Steel, Glass, Membrane
• Client: Airport Authority of India
• Salient Features:
  • Inspired by sea shells, the roof form and structure depicts the best of it.
  • Spanning across 240x90m, it is by the largest clear span enclosure among airports in India and one of the few of world’s international airport buildings.
  • 22 sculpted steel 3 D trusses each having different span resting on 2 elliptical beams and one grand central Arc. Peripheral elliptical edge beams are resting on V columns. Intricacy of Sculpted expressions of engineered end connections of trusses and V columns is achieved by machined steel casting process. The entire building envelop has 6500 tons of steel manufactured inland at various cities and carried to portblair assembled by 400 ton cranes. Commissioning and decommissioning of cranes at Remote Island was a project by itself.
  • On airside and city side there are grand entry canopies which greet the visitor passing through.
  • 20 clear strip skylights located right above space trusses gives pleasant daylight thus not only saving day time lighting energy but gives uniform lux lighting across the interior space and hi lights meticulously detailed space truss detailing and geometry.
  • Roof has delicate mesh overhang extensions receding façade. This prevents any direct sunlight exposure on the glass facade during harsh sunlight durations to minimise heat gain through glass façade. Choice of Glasses have better shading coefficient to further reduce heat gain.
  • Entire building facade is enveloped in bi-directionally curved pre-stressed cable net. 4300 differently sized glass panes form this complex glass surface, designed to withstand super cyclones in the sea yet having delicate looking strong cable net. 24.5 Km of Cables are of stainless steel grade, having special cast junctions holding glass panes at corners only.

This Architectural engineering feat of a building envelop is standing undoubtedly an An icon of Portblair and a delightful entryway to Portblair. Another feather in the cap of Airport Authority of India!