Cairo International Airport

Notes

Salah Zeitoun and Mustafa Shawky’s design was a winning entry for a competition in 1955 and the new airport was inaugurated in 1963. Circulation of the passengers leaving and arriving to the airport was included in one single horizontal level to combine the escalators’ use for maintenance and fear of misuse. However, the departure hall was separated from the arrival hall through security and custom services. In turn, the waiting halls, the restaurants and the hotel were separated from the offices and administration building by the watch tower. From the runway’s side, the façade of the arrival entrance was covered with horizontal sun breakers. The entrances were decorated with fountains and flower beds while the architecture featured a use of exposed building material such as brick, marble and wood as well as the specific design of the architectural details and the sensory relationships between the units and the interior and exterior levels. Some of the interior decoration and furniture were the design of Jean Royère.
 Many issues were carefully handled with the design, such as:  
The airport was designed so that the passengers entering, leaving or just transiting through would not overlap and therefore circulation was never mixed nor confused
All the waiting areas, restaurants and offices had a view towards the planes. One single kitchen catered for all the restaurants, buffets and plane supply.
The design was flexible that it could accept any future addition or adjustment. It was designed for flexibility as it catered for two million passengers per year although the average in 1955 was 500,000 passengers. In 1980, five million passengers were counted using the airport which—although designed for less—was able to accommodate the large number.
The airport had six entrances so that the passengers could finish their passport papers and move directly into the waiting halls.

Sources

Mercedes Volait
Hamad, Mohamad. Misr Tabni. pp. 150-159
Ibrahim, Abdelbaki. Al-Mi'mariyoun al Arab: Salah Zeitoun. Center for Planning and Architectural Studies. pp. 61-66

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