Silvio Pettirossi International Airport New Terminal Building

Asunción, Paraguay. 2019

The New Terminal Building (NTB) at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport is made up of a large volume on the airside and another one on the landside. However, this second piece, of mixed use, is divided as well into two pieces, separated by green patios that introduce natural light inside the building and provide passengers and users with views to the outside through fully glazed façade of a light appearance.

To reinforce the idea of the project to separate the NTB into three pieces, a concept related to the passenger experience is proposed: the creation of a series of solid and glass façades that guide the natural process of the journey. The façades integrate elements of traditional Guaraní culture inspired by ao po’i embroidery.

The roof has a modular system that makes following extensions easy without changing the construction system and with minimal disruption to operations. These modules are inspired by Guaraní feather headdresses, curving like these to increase their structural efficiency. The columns are shaped after the letter “Y”, like the word “water” in Guaraní.

The colors of the jungle are taken onto the outer deck with a predominance of green as the base colour and brightly-coloured elements marking the access points to the terminal and the successive processes in the passenger journey. Color reinforces intuitive orientation.

  • Place/Date: Asunción, Paraguay / 2019
  • Client: Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil / Organización de Aviación Civil Internacional
  • Architects: luis vidal + architects in association with TYPSA
  • Area: Phase 1 – 423,700 sq. ft. (2029) Phase 2 – 476,000 sq. ft. (2035) Phase 3 – 539,850 sq. ft. (2045)
  • Capacity: 1.2 M pax/year
  • Stage: Conceptual design
  • Team: Adriana Borja – Almudena Bustos – Marta Cariñena – Alfredo Entrala – Luis García – Victoria González-Aller – Ángel Inclán – Humberto Martínez – Ester Moreno – Sara Ortega – Patricia Rojas – Marta Sainz – Javier Torrecilla – Oscar Torrejón – Ana Vela – Marcos Velasco – Luis Vidal