Hunter Douglas made the ceiling of the new building connecting terminals A and B at Brussels airport

The Connector is an above-ground passage between terminals A and B of Brussels Airport in Belgium. Previously, these two quays were connected to each other by an underground tunnel 270 meters long. The journey was then made in the dark and there were many stairs, escalators and elevators. It is easy to understand why the passengers did not like it. The contrast between the Connector and this previous passage is enormous.

First of all, an aesthetic challenge

The building is open and bathed in daylight thanks to its glass facade. The wall with the entrance doors, also made entirely of glass, is tilted at an angle of eight degrees to avoid the reflection of radar signals. Hunter Douglas 300C curved ceiling is in keeping with the aesthetics of the roof, whose shape is reminiscent of a shell. In addition to this, the Hunter Douglas ceiling is removable: this makes the systems hidden in the ceiling, such as lighting or automatic water extinguishers, easy to reach for maintenance work.

According to Pieter van Rees, Marketing Director for Europe at Hunter Douglas, “The role of airports has changed a lot over the years. Before, it was just a waiting area where you stayed until you could board. Today, the whole facility is more commercial, with for example catering and shopping services aimed at giving visitors a more pleasant time. ”.

The Hunter Douglas 300C ceiling was therefore designed to meet the aesthetic and acoustic requirements of Brussels Airport. The ceiling areas are not only 15 meters wide and 50 meters long, but they are also curved, to be in keeping with the particular shape of the roof. This design by the architectural agency CTHM (Chapman Taylor - Agence Happold - MOSS), was proposed so that passengers do not feel overwhelmed by the imposing building. "The lowest ceiling point is about 9 or 10 meters from the ground", says architect Erwin Persoons. The only exception is security checks, where a 90-meter-long replica of an airplane wing has been installed to reduce the ceiling height. “The wing is suspended at a height of 2,7 meters, just above the passengers' heads. From there, the ceiling gradually increases in height to a maximum of 16 meters. "

"It was quite a challenge to install the ceiling at this height", adds project manager Thomas Vanderper from the installation company Genisol Projects in Ghent.

But also an acoustic challenge

Hunter Douglas created the custom 300C ceiling for the Connector. It has been designed so that it is perfectly suited to the structure of the shell-shaped roof. “With the curved shape of the ceiling, it is really complicated to have good acoustics, since the sounds are reflected in all kinds of different directions. This is why the sound absorption capacity of the material is extremely important ” explains Erwin Persoons.

The ceiling panels are perforated and also contain an acoustic membrane, which gives them a high degree of sound absorption. As a result, the sounds normally reflected by the granite (such as the noise of passengers walking or talking) are muted. But the most remarkable thing is that people inside the transparent building can see the planes, but not hear them. Linda de Ridder, commercial engineer for Belgium and Luxembourg at Hunter Douglas explains that “The architect did not want the passengers to be able to hear the noise of the plane when it landed or took off. The sound from the speakers is also as low as possible, to maintain a serene atmosphere. ”.

www.hunterdouglascontract.com