Calgary Airport

Featuring 24 new gates, streamlined customs and connections services, advanced screening and boarding processes, 50 new shops and services, the new terminal is a sprawling space with a modern and striking design. Sustainability measures are found throughout the airport and extend to renovated portions of the existing facility. Designers from around Canada worked for several years to cultivate a design that blended aesthetic beauty with functionality and sustainability. The space needed to say “Calgary” without being too literal. Combining natural materials in unique and unexpected ways for an airport environment allowed them to play with colors, finishes and shapes, while still providing the necessary durability required for a bustling, growing facility.  

A key aspect of the design process was to specify and install a unique, modular ceiling system that would assist with wayfinding, help manage acoustics and mitigate noise, leading to a stress-free and anxiety-reducing travel experience for the airport’s 15.7 million annual passengers.  

Furthermore, the ceiling would need to fit into the existing building plans, which were underwork for several years before a manufacturer was selected and specified. It also needed to contribute to the sustainability and carbon footprint of the terminal design, which uses geothermal cooling and heat, rainwater harvesting and an innovative building envelope.   

The large quantity of products from the CertainTeed family of brands is significant for a number of reasons. The architectural team and contractor were challenged with several design problems, including the development of several custom and semi-custom applications and installation techniques. The flexibility of CertainTeed’s products, along with its product design teams, easily led to the creation of new prototypes produced between companies. And the partnership between Sunco and CertainTeed only continued to evolve because of this relationship. Albeit through different divisions, Sunco was able to work with one company to work with for a variety of needs, allowing them to harness the full power of diversity that CertainTeed brings to the commercial construction industry.  

Furthermore, gypsum and finishing products were produced at CertainTeed Gypsum’s Calgary manufacturing facility. Located less than 20km from the airport, this production facility allowed the company to limit its carbon footprint through reduced transportation. It also reduced costs for the project itself, as gypsum and finishing products were locally sourced. This was especially important as the project grew considerably over the course of the design and build stage.  

“When it was all said and done, the size and scope of the project grew by roughly 50 percent,” said Bryan Neubeker, CertainTeed Grid Specialist. “Considering that the timeline and completion date were set, and there were several manufacturing and installation challenges to meet, the finished product is a testament to the brand’s position as a leader in the industry.”  

Rob Adamson, lead architect and partner at Dialog Design, echoed his sentiments and added “The multiple ceiling and gypsum solutions worked in conjunction with the other design features seamlessly.  There were no particular design challenges, as the ceilings were modular and quite easy to deal with.”