Rouyn-Noranda Airport Terminal
Located deep in Canada's boreal forest, the Rouyn-Noranda Airport architecturally exemplifies the abundant mineral and forestry resources of Quebec's Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. The design teams EVOQ and ARTCAD architectes en consortium drew inspiration from the local resource industries and cohesively wove this theme throughout the space, from the exterior roofing to interior luminaires. Together with Luxtec lighting agency, they carefully selected Fluxwerx luminaires to echo the chosen design language, maintaining the architectural continuity found throughout while delivering excellent performance with exceptional visual experience to the occupants.
The glass-enclosed terminal building delivers views of the tarmac from all public spaces, connecting the interior to the outside and letting in abundant daylight. With the goal of lighting design having to strike the balance between functionality, flexibility, and sustainability, the design team selected a collective 456 ft of Fluxwerx Profile suspended linear luminaire for the main waiting area of the airport.
Profile's open architecture aesthetic creates "uninterrupted " longitudinal clarity and transparency along the length of the luminaire, delivering bright, flexible general lighting through a hollow luminous aperture. The luminaire's precisely controlled 40 Up | 60 Down optical distribution options allowed the design team to opt for a variety of lighting schemes, providing an uniform, glare-free, comfortable light for the passengers and airport employees alike. Profile with its vertically oriented optics facilitates wide row spacing, up to 15 ft o.c., and can deliver up to 40fc on average while consuming less than 0.4 W/ft².
Suspended amongst the magnificent timber beams that stretch across the ceiling the Profile luminaires are structure mounted and organically staggered, not unlike the visual lines found throughout a woodgrain. Specified in custom copper RAL finish, the luminaires echo the matching copper exterior roof and perforated screens, adding to the airport's overall visual unity.
The selected copper powdercoat finish pays tribute to the region's rich history of copper mining, blending a nod to its industrial heritage with contemporary design.
The airport's meeting rooms and offices are illuminated by both Fluxwerx Profile Mini and Aperture suspended linear luminaires.
A diminutive linear LED pendant luminaire with hollow aperture design, Profile Mini is a continuation of the minimalist architectural aesthetic of the original Profile series, delivering unparalleled longitudinal clarity and transparency along the length of the luminaire.Two 34-foot runs of Profile Mini were specified with a 65 Up | 35 Down lighting distribution, the miniaturized Anidolic optics delivering an optimal mix of comfort, efficiency, and performance.
In addition to Profile Mini, the design team also specified a collective 84 ft of Aperture Circles. The luminaire's transformative open design with a series of cellular voids allows clear views right through the luminaire to the architecture; all while still delivering an unparalleled visual experience that is simultaneously unique and comfortable. The chosen 20 Up | 80 Down lighting distributions provide well-balanced contrast and precise beam coverage on task surfaces. The Aperture luminaires are finished with anodized aluminum and flat endcaps, mirroring the visual language of the steel and wood structure.
Drawing inspiration from Rouyn-Noranda's vision intertwining rifts and forests, the project’s design, from its earliest stages, envisioned suspended light features to complement the graceful arrangement of copper-toned slats. The light features imbue the expansive terminal spaces with a sense of dynamism and serenity. Gently floating in midair, they strengthen the visual connection between the welcoming forecourt, the arrival and departure halls, and the tarmac. Simultaneously, the fixtures pay subtle homage to the region’s unique character and the rich mining heritage of Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
- Louis Babin St-Jean, Architect, Associate, EVOQ
