A Matter of Scale by Eva Herrmann | 27.06.2011

New Airport Building

Taking a look into the all-knowing architects’ encyclopedia, you will find four pages on the most important points when planning an airport. Apart from key figures such as traffic load (the amount of transported goods and people) and  the rating (the ratio of air and ground crew related to the percental staying duration at an airport during a trip - Æ22% of the travel time), the location, orientation of runways along with their length and width determine what’s happening. Organizational and check-in patterns determine the look of the airport building, the volume of which, in turn, depends on the number of expected passengers; the building is also divided into a reception area, a service area and an airplane hangar.

Travelers at the new airport Mestia, designed by J. Mayer H. Architekten, can afford to show a bored smile about things like these. Instead of a large, pompous building representing the official authorities in all their might, this airport occupies an area of only 250 square meters. Including a room for arriving, waiting, check-in and warming up. Plenty of space for an expected flight frequency of two flights per week, a prop airliner for 18 people in winter and the all the same larger model providing space for up to 50 passengers in summer.  

But all the same – there is an airport. An ambitioned approach made by the Georgian government to beef up the somewhat remote regions through selected infrastructural measures such as building roads and railway networks, and air traffic. The unbelievable construction period of only three (3!) months, during which local companies have built a not-to-be-seen-every-day building practically overnight, adds to this. Since Mestia was added to the list of the UNESCO world cultural heritage many years ago due to its medieval town structure and the high defense towers made of stone, shifting tourism into the focus as an engine of the rising gross national product. But also winter sports fans will find a paradise here – untouched slopes and fantastic conditions at all altitudes. The increasing number of English-language websites with cool freestyle and deep snow adventures adds to this.