Nice Airport on the Côte d’Azur is the third-largest airport in France in terms of passenger numbers, after the two Paris airports. Originally designed by Paul Andreu, it has been modernised and expanded several times over the years.
The most recent extension of Terminal 2 was planned by sbp in collaboration with architect Stéphane Aurel. sbp was responsible for the structural design in steel and timber as well as the façade design. The extension comprises a new check-in hall, a building with pre-boarding lounges, and additional arrival and departure areas.
The load-bearing structure consists of a combined timber and steel construction on a concrete base. X-shaped steel members surround the building, forming the primary structure and providing overall bracing. The roofing of the check-in hall is carried by steel girders over the main span. The secondary roof structure is designed as a rigid diamond-shaped timber grid, which plays a key role in ensuring the stability of the building.
A 50 m long, two-storey passenger bridge spans a service road and directly connects the pier with the terminal.
As the airport is located in seismic zone 4, extensive earthquake engineering requirements had to be taken into account. These include, in particular, the seismic isolation of the terminal building and the resulting cantilever roofs that span the areas between the new structures and the existing building.
