Master Thesis Project, Nicholas C.Oslington

MASTER Thesis Project C02 saving International airport, Nuuk greenland

The Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture Nicholas Christopher Oslington 2014

The main idea behind the design is to save the global and Greenlandic climate from the release of large amounts of C02 due too aviation, which effects Greenland more than we are aware of. As we already know, Greenland has the largest reserve of freshwater in the world, the Greenlandic ice sheet, which covers roughly 80% of the countries surface.

Positioned in the arctic, the 110 000 year old ice sheet is especially vulnerable to climate change, as reportedly 16 % of the ice sheet has melted away during the past 20 years.

The reason Greenland has such a small population, is due to the lack of agriculture. As the sheet is melting away, more areas for farming will be available, and the country will see a new era of industrial growth, increasing the need to develop the infrastructure. One of the reasons for the melting of the large ice sheet is due to aviation. Thousands of tons of C02 are released into the atmosphere, with a rising of 3.9 billion passengers flying across the globe every year. Putting it in to perspective you could jump on an hour flight from Copenhagen to London, and you personally would be responsible for the release of 150 kg/C02, the same amount as driving your car for half a year. This has an immense impact on the global climate, and if it continues, the Greenland ice sheet will melt away, resulting in the world’s sea level to rise with 10 meters. And this is only considering one of the places around the globe where this is happening right now.

As architects, we are not able too influence the main issue of the matter, the aircrafts, as this is a specific engineering path, but we have the capability to impact the design of the airport and how it can become more than just a platform, but become part of the surroundings, also merging with the aircraft itself.

The project proposal is the design of a new C02 saving international airport located in the capital of Greenland, Nuuk. The only international airport existing in Greenland today is an old U.S marine base, north of the capital, situated in kangerlussiaq.

The existing international airport in Kangerlussuaq is central at a global scale, but on a regional scale one of the most remote airports in the world. Because of the location, almost 100% of the 135,000 passengers, who travel through Kangerlussuaq every year, continue to another destination. Approximately 40% of these travellers, 54 000, continue to the capital, Nuuk. This means a loss of economic growth, as this becomes an inefficient stopover, attracting fewer people to visit the country and results in less connectivity to the rest of the world.

Also, from a technical aspect, the existing international airport is situated with an east-west facing runway resulting to crosswinds, in a very turbulent area, often having to cancel flights stranding passengers for days until the weather clears out.

Because of the airports depraved location, Greenland Air´s international flights uses only 1/3 of its potential, resulting in expensive ticket prices. In comparison, Iceland has managed to create a successful stopover program, with a strategic location for the hub, creating room for a greater tourism industry. This stopover program accounts for 16% of Iceland’s tourism.

Kangerlussuaq Existing International airport

Nuuk

With a population of 16 500 people, Nuuk already has a regional airport, located northeast of the city. But unfortunately the 900 meter long airport runway is far to small for international flights and unsafe because of the heavy turbulence created, as it is located under the Ukkusissat Mountain. Extending the already oddly placed airport would not be possible as the northern end of the runway is less than 700 m from the shore of Nuuk Kangerlua fjord. An expansion of the runway in that direction would require a relocation of the connecting road, which climbs under the runway scarp.

An often-discussed extension of the runway in the other direction would have brought the endpoint close to Qinngorput, the newest district of Nuuk. This airport also has problems with turbulence as large wind gusts are taken down the mountain towards the runway, which has led to a number of serious accidents. The development of Nuuk, depends on safe transportation and connectivity on a global and regional scale to move forward, and become a larger part of the overall infrastructure, as this is something the city lacks today.

In my design I have looked at the realistic situation of Nuuk today, keeping in mind the future development of Nuuk, with a new approach to the understanding of the surrounding nature and how this can be interpreted into the design.

Existing Regional Airport

Nuuk

The new international airport is located on the islands of Hundøen 5 km south of the city, far enough away to prevent noise disturbance. The island range is quite level in comparison to its surroundings, and has a various coastline south of the fjord, optimal for ports and container bays. The weather is calm, with no influence from the wind catching mountains surrounding Nuuk, removing the problem of vast turbulence and large wind gusts, which has become one of the main problems at the two existing airports. The new airport is placed accordingly after the geographical conditions and direction of the wind.

To connect Nuuk to the island range, I am proposing an installation of a new tunnel system, linking the islands of hundøen and two more islands, (Ikarissat-Rypøen) to Nuuk, within a circle line, creating room and opportunity for Nuuk´s future development with more land for housing and other facilities within this extent.

Hundøen

Nuuk

New international airport proposal

Hundøen

Ikarissat

Rypøen

Physical context Model 1 : 20000

The ´traditional´ horizontal runway An airplane parked on the ground can be viewed as a block of mass with a typical weight span of 150-300 tonnes, that then subsequently moves in three different phases and directions: 1. upward movement, during take-off, 2. horizontal movement, during flight and 3. downward movement, during landing.

Take off Moving the mass from ground to air requires the releasing of an excessive amount of energy. The acceleration needed to get the average airplane mass airborne is a approx. 250km/h.

Level flight Once the airplane mass is airborne and has reached both cruising altitude and speed at approximately 920km/h the level flight commences. During level flight it requires a significantly less amount of energy to keep the mass moving forward, because both the aerodynamic shape of the airplane and the propulsion system has been specifically designed for this purpose.

Landing During this phase the mass has to decelerate from approx. 245km/h to 0km/h. As the wheels touch the ground, the braking system is being initiated in order to begin the deceleration process and at the same time large amounts of energy, in the form of heat, is being released from the brake discs and calipers. In addition to the braking procedure, the deceleration process also requires intensive reverse thrust support from the airplanes engines in order to successfully complete the deceleration of the plane.

Taxiing too and from the runway is also a large fuel consumer, as around 1000 liters is usually consumed during the taxiing faze for the average larger airplane.

Upward Movement

- Constant speed 76% - Stopped queue 15% - Acceleration 3% - Turns 6%

Forward Movement

Airbus 330-200

Downward Movement

Specs. A 330-200 Taxi, Take-off and landings on a horizontal runway The diagram shows the estimated release of C02 by the Airbus 330-200, the most commenly used aircraft in Greenland. On a regular 0.00 degree runway the plane releases 18 055 kg/c02 during landing, taxi and take-off Fuel consumption and c02 release in the case of a fully fueled airplane

Max range Length/ Wingspan Average speed Take of weight Seats Fuel capacity

Airline Fuel costs per fully fulled long range flights (5 kroners per liter)

Landing Reverse thrust fuel Consumption

Taxiing fuel consumption during arrival and departure (15 minutes per way)

Take off fuel consumption (50 second)

Sum of C02 release per departure and arrival, taxiing, take off and landing

Large airplane specs

13,400 km 59m/60m 930 km/h 230,000 kg 246 seats 140 000 Liters

700 000 kr

1200 liters

2000 liters

4650 liters

= 7850 L

A 330-200

18 055 kg/c02

0´

0´

0´

The proposal

The proposal 3´ degree tilted runway c02 saving The tilted runways can be made up to 30% shorter than the horizontal runways, saving both money and construction time meaning less c02 releases. A 3000-meter long runway could be reduced to 2100 meters, but would be elevated with about 45 meters in one of the ends because of the 3-degree angle of the runway.

Procedure During the uphill landing, the airplanes kinetic energy is converted to potential energy in the form of elevation. This stored energy is then released in the form of acceleration when the plane makes a downhill take off. The use of reverse thrust, as you can read in the diagrams is a very fuel consuming procedure, used to spare the brakes and slow the aircraft down and can almost be eliminated due too the highly efficient uphill landings. When the airplane touches down and comes close to a final stop, it will be able to turn around and keep its speed from the top of the elevated runway down towards the airport apron without using sufficient engine power for taxiing, saving fuel and the release of c02.

Nuuk is geographically central in the world, and creates the possibility for new and better flight routes across the globe.

The new international airport is well situated on a regional and global scale, and works as a stopover hub, connecting Nuuk to the global infrastructure, generating a better opportunity for the cities future development.

North Pole - 3hrs. 30 min Copenhagen - 4hrs. 30 min

During takeoff, the decent from the apron to the top of the runway will be followed out by a transport tug/tractor, pulling the airplane to its right position at the top of the runway. As this is a heavy load too pull, the tug will use more fuel than normally, but in comparison too the airplane taxiing on its own, it would be a substantial amount.

The downhill take off time will be shortened with a substantial amount, creating an easier decent for the aircraft, reducing the full thrust engine time resulting to less energy consumption.

Los Angelos - 6hrs. 30 min

Today Nuuk Airport has 12 departures and 12 arrivals each day. The international airport of Kangerlussiaq has approximately the same, only longer international flights with the use of larger airplanes. Within the development and extensive flights a new international airport would bring to Nuuk, an estimated 80 flights would commence per day, including stopovers/refueling. This is means 40 departures and 40 arrivlas.This number would truly rise as the new international airport will become a large part of the connectivity of Nuuk both nationally and on a global scale.

Paris - 4hrs. 30 min

Rome - 5hrs. 30 min Tokyo -10hrs. 15 min

Frankfurt - 4hrs. 30 min London - 3hrs. 30 min

As approximately 50% of the airplanes scheduled to use the new international airport are smaller than the 747-400 used in the diagram examples, this will be taken into the calculation of what can be saved in c02 emissions, during taxi, take-off and landing.

Landing Diagram

Wind direction

0.000m 0´

Limited use of reverse thrust

230 000 kg 250km/h incline speed

500m 2´

800m 3´

Sustaining 20 km/h taxiing speed

Turn (6% of taxiing fuel consumption) and roll to apron with substantial use of engine power

2700m

C02 saving with 3´ tilted runways An average airplane uses approximately 150.000 liters of fuel during a 10 hour flight. 7% of this time is used during taxiing, takeoff and landings, which is more than it seems.

A 3 degree tilted runway system, could save up to 13 tons of C02 from being released during taxi, landing and take off.

Airbus A 330200 Incline Degrees

Fuel Consumption landing

Taxiing fuel consumption after landing

Taxiing too decent Tug transport consumption

Consumption Take off

0´

Reverse Thrust Aprox. 1200 liters

900 liters

Regular fuel tug 20 L Taxiing to decent 1100 L

250 km/h * 50 sec x 93 1/sec = 4650 L

2´

Reverse Thrust Aprox. 600 L

400 L

Electric tug tow 0.00 L Engine warm up 200L

250 km/h * 40 sec x 93 1/sec = 3720 L

3´

Reverse Thrust Aprox. 250 L

sufficient engine use 300 L

Electric tug tow 0.00 L Engine warm up 200L

250 km/h * 32 sec x 93 1/sec = 2980 L

Fuel save: 950 L

Fuel save: 600 L

Fuel save: 900 L

Fuel save: 1670 L

Fuel saving C02 per depar- Savings per ture and departure arrival: and arrival: 0.00

0.00

11 500 kr 2300 L

5430 kg/c02

Fuel save per flight:

C02 save per flight:

4120 L

9500kg/C02

Take off Diagram An electric tug pulls the mass from the apron to the top of the 3 degree tilted runway. The running airplane engines are running at all times to keep warm, consuming only 200 liters

2700m

Full thrust 3´ degree downhill take off, reaching the required 310km/h take off speed in 32 seconds, relative to a 50 second horizontal runway take off

Saving 18 seconds of full thrust engine power is equivalent to 1700 liters of fuel

800m

Wind direction

500m

0.000m

The cost of a regular runway is about 1,5 billion kroners. I am proposing two separate north and south facing 3 degree tilted runways.

With a length of 2500-3000 meters, constructing the runways within the vast geographical conditions of the islands around Nuuk would aproximately cost around 2 billion kroners each, including the heating system and runway lights.

4120 L fuel saved per plane departure and arrival x 40 departures and arrivals per day = 164 800L per day x 365 days = 60 million liters of fuel saved per year This means saving the release of 138 000 metric tons of C02 per year. A small amount on a global scale, but still slowing down the greenhouse effect, preventing rising tempratures and the acceleration of the melting greenland ice, 10% of the worlds ice reserves.

Looking at the cost, it would save the flight companies 300 million kroners a year with an estimated fuel price of 5 kroners per liter. And expecting more flights in the future to Nuuk, it roughly take 10 years to match the construction costs of the two 3 degree tilted runways.

Nuuk Wind Diagram

0´

The dominant wind directions in Nuuk seen from the figure is regularly south and north / northeast. The summer months is dominated by wind coming from the south while the winter months are dominated by wind coming from the north wind. Further seen the greatest wind speeds that occur at times are winds from the south. The average wind speed at the southerly wind is 9.1 m/s. The airport is located due too the surrounding wind directions as seen in the diagram.

2´ 3´

N 330

Landing

30

0´

3´

runway

300

Take off runway

Landing

2´

2´

60

runway

3´ W

0´

E 5%

10% 240

120

15%

Percent

20% 210

25%

Souther Winds

150

S

14.0 m/s 5.0 - 13.9 m/s 1.6 - 4.9 m/s

Take off runway

3´ 2´

For this system too work, two runways have to be installed, because of the wind directions as you see in the diagram. A day with southern winds, would make the west facing runway best for landings and the east facing runway best for take offs. And during northern winds the opposite.

The whole airport is designed after the wind conditions and geographical landscape of the surrounding islands, insuring this circulation system to work.

0´ Northern Winds

The new international airport is constructed by three separate structure elements, carefully touching the islands at five different bearing points. The bearing points are not bolted to the ground surface, but sit metal against metal, only in place because of the force and weight of the heavy mass structure. This leaves room for the structure to move, without cracking or breaking any of its bearings. A similar construction method is often used in large spanning bridges.

Each of the three elements are constructed as a wing, with two trailing edges, forcing the wind downward under the structure. Each element has two main reinforced steel beams running the length, while fitted cross spares evenly spread along it, creating the opportunity to span the required length. The two 2700 meter long elements work as the airports runways with two bearing points in each end connecting to the rock landscape.

The third element, the terminal/apron, has one connection point to the ground rock surface, and joins to the two runways weakest middle points, structurally holding them up. Three separate elements structurally come together as one. The ground connection point of the terminal element continues in through the landscapes surface of the island, becoming part of the proposed train line/tunnel system.

As the structure creates a gridded surface, all the facilities of the airport are located within the boundary of these structural spaces. The upper apron cross spares have a 90 meter grid between them, designed so this can fit the 747, one of the worlds largest aircrafts, and two dash-7´s, air Greenlands main domestic aircraft.

Physical Structure Model 1 : 1000

To enter the airport terminal located in the middle of the structure; you either visit by, car, boat or train.

(SS) All the transportation operations, meet at the same point on different levels underground, basement floor -1. 2 and 3, using the main elevator system two commence up into the terminal. The basement floor level -1 also connecting to the boat harbor, is the main entry point to the airports control tower.

When entering the terminal, the large elevators continue up through the rock landscape and into the mass structure. These only go up to the first floor.

Boat harbour

-1

Train line

-2

Vehicle transportation -3

Fourth floor Office space/staff Third floor Departure and arrival gates Domestic and International Taxfree, shops and resturaunts

First floor Cafe, restaurant, foyer Airport security Baggage claim, customs GROUND FLOOR Terminal check inn Baggage drop off Entry and exit

Basement floor -1 Boat docks and air traffic control tower entrance Basement floor -2 Trainline connection to Nuuk

Basement floor -3 Vehicle tunnel system connection to Nuuk Transportation parking

second floor Aircraft apron level Airport ground crew only Baggage entry and exit

FLow diagram DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

Controll tower Entered from basement floor -3

Basement floor -1 Boat docks and air traffic control tower entrance Basement floor -2 Trainline connection to Nuuk

Basement floor -3 Vehicle tunnel system connection to Nuuk Transportation parking

Basement floor -1, -2, -3

Continuing up into the terminals ground floor, the large spacing between the structures outside and inside, are filled with large sections of glazing. The glass hangs from the ceilings construction, in two separate glass layers. Crossing each other with a connection point, the outer layer becomes a wind barrier protecting the inner piece of glazing. As the sun lies low most of the year except from October to March when you barely see the sun, the spaces are easily filled with flourishing light. The ground floor becomes the space for departure check in, baggage drop off, and also for the arriving passengers who continue down to the train or other form of transportation. The baggage is sent up to the service and apron level, with the use of a baggage elevator system.

FLow diagram DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

Baggage elevators

GROUND FLOOR Terminal check inn Baggage drop off Entry and exit

GROUND FLOOR

second floor Aircraft apron level Airport ground crew only Baggage entry and exit

Baggage elevators

Arrival

Departure

FLow diagram

Continuing up through the terminal, (SS) large escalators transport you along the structures angle width up to the first floor. (SS) Here you have a relaxing area with shops and cafĂŠs before you enter the airport security. From the security you can se through the whole floor into the arrival baggage customs, only separated by glazing, (IMAGE SS) not preventing the light to enter the whole floor.

DEPARTURE ARRIVAL

(SS) When you have gone through the security procedure, escalators bring you past the second floor apron level and service, and up to the third floor where you either go left for domestic flights, or to the right for international flights. On the fourth floor, there is a large space for offices, only accessible for employees. Here is an image when coming up from the security and on the third floor.

1.

First floor 1. Cafe, restaurant, foyer 2. Airport security 3. Baggage claim, customs

2.

3.

First floor

Continuing on the third level, all main facilities as, gates, service spaces, fire exits, large service elevators and toilets, are constructed within the walls of the structure as these are pre-fabricated as separate elements to the main bearing structure spares. All shops and cafes are plotted around in-between the 90 meter structure grid. You also have different facilities for, Passport control, staff spaces, aircraft rescue and firefighting, aircraft storage and fuel storage, De-icing, and vehicle storage facilities. The airport vehicles use the lower runway structure as a passage, due too shorter distances, saving C02 releases and les disturbance of the air traffic. The aircrafts are located under the third floors roof structure, so less use of the de-icing toxics are to be used. The roof structure is also used as the runways connecting point, with a slight angle, so airplanes can taxi without using sufficient engine power.

Throughout the whole third floor of the airport, glazing continues on both sides of the facade, giving an incredible panoramic view to the north and south, generating picturesque interpretations of the beautiful surrounding landscape of Nuuk.

Fourth floor Office space/staff

Third floor Departure and arrival gates Domestic and International Taxfree, shops and resturaunts

second floor Aircraft apron level Airport ground crew only Baggage entry and exit

International

Domestic

Third floor

7.

6.

10.

9.

4.

2.

Third floor plan Terminal/gates 1. Domestic 2. International 3. Passport control 4. Staff space 5. Helli-pad 6. Aircraft rescue and firefighting 7. Aircraft storage facility/fuel storage 8. Storage facility of vehichles/tugs 9. De-icing facilities/snowplow vehichles 10. Vehichle connection to runnways The aircrafts are located under the terminal roof/ runway connection, preventing humidity, snow and ice to come in contact with the planes when on the ground at the gate.This insures less use of de-icing chemicals and spares the surrounding nature from the toxic chemicals.

5.

10.

1.

8.

Physical model 1 : 2000

Integrating SUSTAINABLE energy Fjord currents Greenland´s fjords, is one of the most astonishing features of their landscape. The fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial erosion. Even though they are beautiful, they are also powerful forces of nature, always in motion, able too circulate tons of water, which could be an optimal energy source.

Nuuk is located at the mouth of Kobberfjord, which creates a large oppertunity, taking advantage of the vast forces of underwater circulation currents. The rivers of fresh water from the melting ice and natural tide create these strong underwater currents, with speeds up to 10 knots.

Fjords like Kobberfjord that go deep into the land and receive much runoff from rivers, contain an appreciable amount of freshwater, which has to flow out of the fjord. Very rapidly after entering the fjord, the freshwater mixes vigorously with seawater, and the brackish water that results, typically has only about 1% freshwater with the rest being seawater.

Schematically, the circulation consists of a surface current with brackish water, which flows out of the fjord, and a current in deeper layers with more saline water going in the opposite direction. The inflow of fresh water to the fjord may be described as the engine, which drives the large-scale circulation. The inflow generally causes a higher water level in the fjord than outside. This difference in water level forces the brackish surface water out of the fjord.

Brackish water is less salty than the seawater and hence also less dense. The brackish water therefore remains close to the surface and typically have such a fresh water layer, which dominates the upper parts of the fjord with a typical thickness of about 10m. On its way out, the freshwater brings along the seawater that it has been mixed with. For every cubic metre of freshwater brought out of the fjord, about a hundred times as many cubic metres of seawater are brought along.

Some fjords have a sill close to the fjord opening, which is shallower than parts of the fjord inside the sill. In these fjords, the water circulation is like a common fjord with an outflowing brackish layer at top and inflowing seawater at depth, but because of the sill, the power of the circulation increases.

Brackish water (10m)

Sea water

Brackish water

Sea water Sill

Tides Every day the moon´s gravitational pull, lifts countless tons of water around the shores of Greenland.

Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth. In Greenland, the strongest tides are found around the area of Nuuk, with the greatest amplitude of 120 cm every 12 hours.

The strongest tide signal, spring tide, is experienced when the sun, earth and moon are on lying on a line, which happens every 14 days. The lowest signal, nip tide is experienced every 7 days after spring tide, when the line between the moon and earth is perpendicular to the line between the sun and earth. The difference between high water and low water in Nuuk is very extreme. The difference in water level between high and low water during spring tide is 4,6 meters and nip tide 1,5 meters with a differential value of 3,1 meters.

This is a huge amount of energy that could be integrated in to the design of the new airport, harvested in the same way as wave energy or water currents, using underwater windmills or floating hydrolic generator systems. The conditions for this type of sustainable energy around Nuuk, is very possible as the fjords in the area no longer freeze in winter time.

Nuuk

Kobberfjord

1. Fjord current harvesting 2. Wave/tide hydrolic generator system, connected to docks

As the glaciers melt, fresh water enters the ocean, creating vast amounts of strong fjord currents, which is harvested from the sea floor.

Wave harvesting is also taking into account, using hydrolic generater systems connected to the floating boat docks. These systems generate enough power to run the airport + lighting and the runway heating systems.

2.

1.

Nature, climate and change The Nature in Greenland is truly a spectacular world of its own. Icebergs and the massive areas of inland ice sheets are probably the most famous aspects of the Greenlandic nature. Colossal icebergs in fantastic shapes of blue and white float on the deep blue sea. The inland ice, 3 kilometers thick, which seems frozen solid and immovable but, as the roaring and creaking reveals, is in fact under constant movement and change. And, unfortunately, these changes are more extreme than ever. Out on the edges where glaciers are generated, these massive blocks of ice can move from 1 to 30 meters in one day.

These glaciers have through the years carved through the rock and created deep fjords, which is one of Greenland’s main characteristics.

Sadly the inland ice is melting and retreating at an unprecedented rate. Global warming is leaving its mark. Climate change and global warming are hot topics of discussion all over the world, and these discussions are particularly relevant in relation to Greenland as the ice sheet is often mentioned in connection with the debates on increases in global temperature. Frozen fresh water is bound in the form of millions of cubic meters of ice in Greenland, and overall the country contains 10 per cent of the world’s total reserves of fresh water.

If temperatures continue to rise, it is natural to ask how much the planet’s ice masses will be affected. Sealers and whalers at Qaanaaq say that the sea ice is 1 meter thinner today than it was earlier. East Greenlanders see less ice from the Arctic Ocean than earlier, and both scientists as well as tourist guides report that in certain areas of the country glacier heads are pulling back year after year. This applies not least to the ice fjord near Ilulissat, which has pulled back almost 10 km between 2001 and 2004. Greenland is in other words loosing more ice than its gaining.

But looking away from climate change the beautiful ice landscape is not all. Greenland is also about green mountains with beautiful wild flowers, long fjords, precipitous cliffs, hot springs and skies so high and air so fresh. Animals also thrive here, both at sea and on land. Whales, seals, reindeer, musk oxen and polar bears to name few, thrive in these stunning conditions, attracting people from all over the world. Humpback Whales are seen daily around the islands of Ikarissat, from Nuuk. Some days large icebergs broken of from the glaciers, deep in the Godthåbsfjord, piecefully float by the city, as an every day affair.

This stunning nature is something i feel travellers coming to Nuuk should experince, even if it is only a stopover flight.

Greenland’s Flight traffic The flight traffic in Greenland first started after World War II, where the American army built the first military landing strips.

When the war ended the landing strips where gradually salvaged to civil use, as fishing docks and ice inspection institutes which are still in use today.

The population of Greenland lives along the 5000 km cost and in line with the development of the countries infrastructure there is more and more demand for the transportation of people. The proposal of a new international airport in Nuuk would not only strengthen this infrastructure, but unable Greenland to broaden its boundaries and tie connections to the surrounding countries. There is also an economical issue as far as funding the build of an airport in these vast topographic conditions, as Greenland’s income is mostly of the fishing industry. But as a future investment this would increase the growth of tourism and connectivity through Nuuk, and strengthen Greenland’s economy.

Although Greenland is strategically well situated, Air Greenland only has one international flight, Kangerlussuaq to Copenhagen, Denmark. The existing international airport in Kangerlussuaq is central at a global scale but on a national scale one of the most remote airports in the world. Because of the location of the international airport, nearly 100% of the 135,000 passengers, who travel through Kangerlussuaq every year, continue to another destination. Approximately 40% of these travellers, 54 000, continue to the capital, Nuuk. This means a loss of economic growth, as this becomes an inefficient stopover, attracting fewer people to visit the country. In comparison, Iceland has managed to create a successful stopover program, with a strategic location, creating room for a greater tourism industry. This stopover program accounts for 16% of Iceland’s tourism.

Greenland could learn from this, as the Greenland Air 1-330 international flights only use one third of its potential, resulting in expensive ticket prices. Building a new international airport in Nuuk, would increase travellers from North America and Europe, implicating that airplanes would be used at their full capacity, thereby lowering ticket prices. These routes would also create more direct access to Nuuk.

The impact of aviation The environmental impact of aviation occurs because aircraft engines emit noise, particles and gases, which contribute to climate change and global dimming. The trend toward increasing mobility has great significance for air travel, which now has higher growth rates than any other means of transport. The International Air Transport Association shows that airlines expect a 31% Rise in passenger demand by 2017, which makes this an immense global issue. This means that within the next three years the total passenger numbers are expected to rise to an astonishing 3.91 billion. Which means an increase of 930 million passengers over the 2.98 billion carried around the world today.

Globally the world´s 20,000 commercial aircrafts generate more than 600 million tonnes of co2 per year. This is an average of 100,000 flights per day only encountering commercial airlines; throw in cargo, charter flights and the number at least doubles. Despite emission reductions from automobiles and more fuel-efficient and less polluting turbofan and turboprop engines, the rapid growth of air travel in recent years contributes to an increase in total pollution attributable to aviation. The European Union shows that the greenhouse gas releases from aviation increased with 91% from 1990 to 2014.

Aviation generates nearly as much co2 annually as that from all human activities in Africa. In a worldwide perspective the true impact of aviation’s co2 release, are an estimated 14% of the total global greenhouse emissions. To put things in perspective so one really understands the significance of this issue, I can give you an example. If you fly from Copenhagen to London, a 1-½ hour flight that on the other hand would take you 14 hours by car, you are alone doing more damage than you are aware of. During these 900 kilometers by flight you will be responsible for a release of 150 kg of co2 impelled into the atmosphere.

This is the average co2 release from a car averagely used for half a year. As this is bad enough, the effect of co2 releases at 10 000 feet above the earths crust relative to the release on the ground, doubles. Think about how many times you fly a year, and you can start calculating your output an influence on global warming.

This issue is only now being highlighted and is a major concern, as we today cannot stop the growth of travellers around the world. Flights are getting cheaper, people more inpatient and the world is moving at a faster pace. So preventing passengers from flying is a no go as this has become an regularity and a must for most people. The only way to prevent the global issue from becoming worse is to upgrade our technology and knowledge of aviation.

From an architects perspective this has to be put in to consideration, when designing an airport. We cannot really influence the main issue of the matter, which is the aircraft, as this is an engineering question. Even though the airport has a slighter role within the world’s growth of greenhouse emissions its still a part of the aviation trade, and should be as eco friendly as possible. So designing a self-sustainable airport would be an important factor within the design of a new international airport in Nuuk. Greenland is the country that early on will notice immense climate changes and is already doing so today, because of its southern geographical location compared to the arctic and north pole. As mentioned earlier, scientists are focusing their attention on the 2.85 million-km3 ice sheet, which in the long term is in danger of melting as a result of continued increases in temperature. If this happens, the world’s oceans will rise by 8-10 meters, a dramatic impact that could happen early on and drastically change the climate and nature around the world and in Greenland.