Madrid Barajas Airport

The project for Terminal 4 at Barajas Airport was won in competition by a consortium of Richard Rogers Partnership, the Spanish practice Estudio Lamela and two engineering companies TPS (UK) and Initec in 1997. The client, the Spanish National Airports Authority (AENA), commissioned the architects to design a new facility as part of their major expansion plans for the existing Madrid Barajas Airport.  Barajas, first opened in 1933 and subsequently extended several times, became over-stretched and the need for a new site with a terminal, satellite, ancillary buildings and two new run ways in the north-west was identified.

The new terminal will establish Madrid as a major European hub, and consolidate its position as the focal connection between Europe and Latin America. Passenger numbers are expected to outstrip Schipol in the Netherlands, Europe's second largest airport, in five years time. The main components of the design include parking facilities, a terminal building and a satellite or midfield terminal building, totalling some one million square metres and capable of handling 35 million passengers a year. The design team was also required to incorporate automatic baggage handling systems, automatic people movers to connect the terminal with the satellite, as well as a train and metro station.

Up to 40 boarding gates for schengen passengers directly attached to the terminal, were a prerequisite of the competition brief.  The satellite was to provide for international passengers and some schengen traffic.  As schengen traffic needs to be kept separate from international traffic, a third level was required and a number of 'swing stands' that could serve all 3 areas in such a way as to handle both international and schengen passengers.