The Dalaman Airport Project was proposed for the architectural competition in 1999 and won an honorable mention. Apart from creating a functional structure meeting international aviation standards, the aim of the proposal was the architectural planning of a space that would function as Turkey’s southwestern gate.
The airport building, planned on two main levels, consisting of departures and arrivals, includes the vestibule and control along the peripheries in the direction of the entrance, loading bridge spaces facing the apron, and offices and service areas in the other two directions. These sections have been defined in 3D as a monolithic frame; with the main halls rising within a frame placed under a roof slanting slightly towards the entrance.
The main bulk of the airport has been vertically fragmented by a series of light wells-courtyards. Three courtyards, diminishing in size while descending towards the ground level of the first floor, were placed in the direction of the entrance; two of these on the sides, descend all the way to the arrival lounge. Arcaded light wells are positioned between the passport control and waiting areas. The courtyards were proposed with the aim of allowing controlled flow of the Mediterranean sun into the interior spaces of the structure, to define the scale of the departures hall, to establish visual correlation between the two levels, and to create a landscape consisting of endemic plants for the arriving passengers in particular. In depth permeability was sought with a third mezzanine housing private waiting lounges in the arcaded light wells.
The exterior facades of the structure, defined in the interiors by courtyards and light wells opening into the sky, were designed with surfaces coated with local stones, for the greater part. Glass surfaces were proposed for spaces under the eaves, in the direction of the entrance, and the loading bridges in the direction of the apron.
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