A radical redesign of Terminal 2 in the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris was undertaken by Marc Fidele and Andrei David, the architects of the Paris Airport Engineering and Architectural Management. A huge public space of this type has to stand up to the wear and tear of thousands of travellers who pass through on a daily basis. As such, not only is this category of project a matter of design but the choice of materials is vitally important.
The final choice which ticked all the boxes was a new generation material, HI-MACS, developed by LG Chem using advanced polymer resin technology. The non-porous material was used to create the three spectacular pillars within the terminal and being non-absorbent, it inhibits the growth of bacteria, in addition to being easy to clean and maintain. The sleek sweeping forms in pristine white are a cheerful addition to what can sometimes be a tedious place where people sit to await their flights.
The is the first instance of a new generation material being used in a project of this scale as it is more commonly used within a domestic context as on kitchen surfaces and other places which demand a hard wearing product. The architects worked in collaboration with the furniture manufacturer LCCA in order to make the most of this amazing new material which is marketed as ‘the ultimate solid surface!’
