King Abdulaziz International Airport Hajj Terminal Because of Jeddahs proximity to Islams holy city of Mecca, the airport stands for one feature in particular: the Hajj Terminal. Specially built to handle pilgrims to take part in the rituals associated with the annual Hajj, it offers many facilities and can accommodate 80,000 travelers at the same time. Designed by the famous Bangladeshi engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), it is known for its tent-like roof structure, engineered by Horst Berger while part of Geiger Berger Associates. Ten modules, each consisting of 21 tents of white colored Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric suspended from pylons, are grouped together into two blocks of five modules and separated by a landscaped mall between the blocks. Only customs, baggage handling and similar facilities are located in an air-conditioned building. The vast majority of the complex, called Terminal Support Area, is a flexible, open area, conceived to function like a village, complete with souk (market) and mosque. Not enclosed by walls, this area is sheltered from the intense sun while allowing for natural ventilation. The Hajj Terminal received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1983. According to the jury, the brilliant and imaginative design of the roofing system met the awesome challenge of covering this vast space with incomparable elegance and beauty. At five million square feet (465,000 m²), the Jeddah airport Hajj Terminal is estimated to be among the worlds largest air terminals after Beijing Capital International Airport, Dubai International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport. Many airlines from Muslim and non-Muslim countries have used the Hajj Terminal.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 04:30:37 +0000