Maximum energy efficiency in new Satellite Terminal at Munich Airport

Innovative technology in heating, cooling and lighting systems

April 2016 sees the opening of the new satellite terminal at Munich Airport, with which the airport will gain a passenger terminal that sets new environmental and energy efficiency standards. The very latest building materials and innovative heating, cooling and lighting technologies will ensure that energy usage is reduced to a minimal level: CO₂ emissions generated by the building will be 40% lower than those emitted by the airport’s existing terminal buildings. Contributing to this reduction are the “climate façades”, found on the longitudinal sides of the building, which enable passengers (via escalators) to change between the building’s three passenger levels. These 4.5-metre-wide spaces separate the heated or cooled building proper from the open air and act as an accessible climate buffer. The façade is made of a newly-developed type of glass which allows daylight through, but which – by means of a special coating – keeps out solar radiation, including heat.

The heating and cooling of the satellite terminal is achieved by use of the airport’s heating and cooling systems, the necessary energy being generated by the airport’s own CHP (combined heat and power) plant, recently renovated with expanded capacity. With this, the airport produces around 60% of the power it needs. The resulting waste heat is used for heating at cold times of the year and for cooling in summer, after being converted in an absorption refrigeration unit.

Primarily, heating and cooling of the satellite terminal building is via underfloor conduits. Ventilation occurs via displacement ventilation technology and – the external temperature permitting – naturally, via special openings in the building. The use of an innovative lighting concept – LED lamps – also offers further energy-saving potential: these lamps can be individually dimmed in accordance with lighting requirements and are laid out in such a way as to have the optimal effect.

Climate protection in the satellite terminal does not stop at the outer walls: all aircraft positions will be equipped from the start with so-called “Pre-Conditioned Air Units” (PCA), via which Lufthansa and its partners’ aircraft can be heated via the airport’s heating network or cooled in the summer via the building’s own air conditioning system. The use of the aircraft’s own kerosene-powered auxiliary power unit is therefore superfluous, leading to a reduction in noise as well as of CO₂ emissions.

The new satellite terminal is a joint project between Flughafen München GmbH and Deutsche Lufthansa AG. FMG and Lufthansa already operate Terminal 2 together and are reacting to the increase in passenger numbers with these expansion plans for Munich Airport. The architect and general planner of the new building is the Munich office of Koch + Partner, who are also responsible for Terminal 2. With the new, 600-metre-long satellite terminal building, both Lufthansa and Munich Airport gain the capacity to manage eleven million passengers per annum. On top of this, it is much more convenient for passengers, with 27 aircraft positions close to the building, eliminating the need for cross-apron bus journeys.

Innovative technology in heating, cooling and lighting systems

April 2016 sees the opening of the new satellite terminal at Munich Airport, with which the airport will gain a passenger terminal that sets new environmental and energy efficiency standards. The very latest building materials and innovative heating, cooling and lighting technologies will ensure that energy usage is reduced to a minimal level: CO₂ emissions generated by the building will be 40% lower than those emitted by the airport’s existing terminal buildings. Contributing to this reduction are the “climate façades”, found on the longitudinal sides of the building, which enable passengers (via escalators) to change between the building’s three passenger levels. These 4.5-metre-wide spaces separate the heated or cooled building proper from the open air and act as an accessible climate buffer. The façade is made of a newly-developed type of glass which allows daylight through, but which – by means of a special coating – keeps out solar radiation, including heat.

The heating and cooling of the satellite terminal is achieved by use of the airport’s heating and cooling systems, the necessary energy being generated by the airport’s own CHP (combined heat and power) plant, recently renovated with expanded capacity. With this, the airport produces around 60% of the power it needs. The resulting waste heat is used for heating at cold times of the year and for cooling in summer, after being converted in an absorption refrigeration unit.

Primarily, heating and cooling of the satellite terminal building is via underfloor conduits. Ventilation occurs via displacement ventilation technology and – the external temperature permitting – naturally, via special openings in the building. The use of an innovative lighting concept – LED lamps – also offers further energy-saving potential: these lamps can be individually dimmed in accordance with lighting requirements and are laid out in such a way as to have the optimal effect.

Climate protection in the satellite terminal does not stop at the outer walls: all aircraft positions will be equipped from the start with so-called “Pre-Conditioned Air Units” (PCA), via which Lufthansa and its partners’ aircraft can be heated via the airport’s heating network or cooled in the summer via the building’s own air conditioning system. The use of the aircraft’s own kerosene-powered auxiliary power unit is therefore superfluous, leading to a reduction in noise as well as of CO₂ emissions.

The new satellite terminal is a joint project between Flughafen München GmbH and Deutsche Lufthansa AG. FMG and Lufthansa already operate Terminal 2 together and are reacting to the increase in passenger numbers with these expansion plans for Munich Airport. The architect and general planner of the new building is the Munich office of Koch + Partner, who are also responsible for Terminal 2. With the new, 600-metre-long satellite terminal building, both Lufthansa and Munich Airport gain the capacity to manage eleven million passengers per annum. On top of this, it is much more convenient for passengers, with 27 aircraft positions close to the building, eliminating the need for cross-apron bus journeys.