Rwanda’s multimillion-dollar Bugesera airport, construction of which is nearing completion, is on track to be awarded Green Mark certification by the Singapore-based Building and Construction Authority.
Rwandan Minister for Environment Vincent Biruta describes Bugesera airport as the ‘country’s largest’ infrastructure project, adding that it will be one of the continent’s greenest airports. The US$818 million airport will be a net zero emissions complex with the help of solar power and high levels of energy and water efficiency.
According to Green A Consultants, sustainability was a key consideration in the design of the airport. ‘Located on a greenfield site to the south-east of the capital city Kigali, sustainable solutions included the use of preconditioned air on all aircraft stands, forced natural ventilation in all buildings, together with the use of an underground cool-air system within the passenger terminal. Rainwater harvesting and a non-site recycling and waste processing facility have added to the project’s strong sustainability benefits.’
The airport is being built over multiple phases, the first of which features a 4 200 m runway and a capacity of 1.8 million passengers per annum. Subsequent phases will see the addition of cargo and passenger terminals, boosting annual capacity to 4.5 million passengers.
