Engineering company Atkins has been working on a significant facelift to Terminal 1 at Dublin airport under plans that have been lodged with Fingal County Council this month, it has been revealed.

The design will replace the core facade and roof with a new modern, energy efficient envelope that will completely transform the external appearance of the terminal, giving it a new visual identity.

Brutalist style

Designed in the Brutalist style, popular at the time, the existing facade dominated by concrete fins will make way for a combination of glass and solid panels to create a bold new look for T1 that will improve the overall visual appearance of the airport campus.

As part of the Atkins-designed project, planning permission has also been sought to repurpose the top two floors of Terminal 1 as airport offices, which were originally designed as a multi-storey car park.

Carlos Muriel, Atkins’ lead architect, said: “Our proposal gives T1 a new identity that is based on a deep understanding of the historical transformation that the airport has experienced during the last 50 years and Dublin airport´s ambition to become a highly-sustainable and energy efficient campus. The design addresses the challenges of the present and future, whilst being respectful to the past.”

Responding to the Dublin Airport Authority’s sustainability agenda, the changes will generate a significant improvement in the terminal’s energy efficiency, as it will move the upgraded elements of building from their current BER rating of F to B3.

Rob Jenner, Atkins aviation director, said: “Getting this project to planning under COVID-19 restrictions has presented new challenges to us all but to successfully lodge an application with such a sensitive proposed transformation is remarkable and a fantastic achievement by the whole project team.”