Ottawa International Airport
Betty Dion, ICTA, President, Betty Dion Enterprises Ltd., Canada
Michael Fox, ICTA, President, Access Australia, Australia
The award winning new terminal at the Ottawa International Airport was officially opened on October 12, 2003, six months earlier than expected. The new $310-million terminal was completed on budget and without the help of government subsidies, as the terminal is being paid for by travelers via an airport improvement fee. The much needed expansion has provided relief for travelers, as the former 40-year old terminal was operating well over capacity.
The new 656 055 sq/ft terminal has been designed with the comfort of the traveler in mind. With a capacity of 2.6 million passengers, the new terminal features separate arrival and departure areas, a four-level parking structure, natural lighting, 14 new gates and better baggage facilities.
In addition to the basic features which will ensure a positive travel experience for all travelers, the airport authority and architectural design team wanted to ensure the facility incorporated innovated design features to ensure the travel experience for everyone was as easy and comfortable as possible.
Thanks to the commitment of the airport authority, design team and accessibility consultants, a universal design approach for the new terminal was a key consideration in all decisions from the beginning of the design process. In all of the design stages for the facility, careful consideration and thought was given to the needs and abilities of the needs of all users regardless of ability, in order to ensure the building was universally designed. The building does not have design elements for people with disabilities, rather, it has the needs of all users integrated into all aspects of the safe and efficient functioning the airport facility.
The building was designed with level entrances, automatic door openers, self-adjusting illumination, audio, visual and tactile wayfinding cues, and for passengers who need immediate assistance upon entering the terminal, there are help phones located at several key points in the terminal which connect to on-duty air terminal staff.
The importance of appropriate signage and other means for wayfinding was heavily emphasized during the design stages. As a result, the signage is large, well contrasted and tactile, and is located at decision making points and throughout the terminal to permit independent passage through the facility.
In addition to the signage, passengers will discover that throughout the facility, there are contrasting colour and texture patterns of floor tiles at decision making points which are distinct to each type of decision, and are repeated throughout the terminal as well as the parking facility. The provision of water elements including waterfalls and pools provide a quieting, relaxing effect as well as audio cues.
In every washroom, there are two accessible stalls, and a separate individual washroom that can accommodate attendants. Grab bars are provided at urinals which are marked with highly visible markers to increased visibility and all accessories are hands-free. The barrier tapes used by the cleaners to close part of the washroom have been placed at two heights in all of the washrooms to ensure they are cane detectable.
The design of the terminal has been recognized by the City of Ottawa and has received the first Accessibility by Design in recognition of "the airports overall design which creates a comfortable and intuitive balance between aesthetics and functionality that does not discriminate but rather accommodates all kinds of needs. "