Carrasco General Cesareo L. Berisso International Airport is the largest airport in Uruguay serving the capital city Montevideo.
New York-based practice RVA’s design of the $165 million terminal has placed prominence on the public zones by providing amenities such as open space, natural light, restaurants, retail and landscaping; all housed beneath a gently curved roof, 1,000 feet in length. Light enters via a visor-like glazed airside façade, which peers out from under the gently down-turned roof. The flowing lines and undulation are evocative of Uruguayan landscape providing a fitting entry point to the country.
Duty Free Uruguay’s 1,250 square meter of retail space is featured in the departures area, immediately after security, and another similar-sized store will also commence operation in the arrivals area. A public, landscaped terrace occupies the second floor above the departure level, providing views of the runway and the main public concourse. Duty free shopping areas and restaurants are featured in the waiting areas.
An open atrium adjacent to the street entrance opens the ground floor to the monumental space of the main hall, visually and spatially linking the beginning and ending stages of a traveler’s journey. The roof provides a canopy over these access roads on the land-side of the building.
The departures level is one large space. With glazing on all four sides and thin structural supports, the roof appears to float above the building. The departures level features the public concourse and the secure passenger concourse; each is separated by the security checkpoint and immigration control at the center of the plan.
Carrasco International Airport terminal project is the largest of the architect’s projects in Uruguay, Vinoly’s home country, and its first ever airport terminal project.
