The passenger terminal at Portsmouth International Port, which opened in May 2011, offers the modern high standards and style of an airport terminal, with none of the queues and baggage hassles of flying. A full-height concourse contains check-in desks and the arrival/departure area. The mezzanine floor has a bar/café, with views over the concourse and an outdoor observation balcony overlooking the Port.

New drop-off areas and roads improve access to and from the terminal, which has a modern glass and stone façade and room for 2,400 passengers.

A very green terminal

The terminal, part of a £16.5 million investment, uses the latest ‘eco-friendly’ technologies to have minimum impact on the environment.

It is the first public building in the country to be heated and cooled using thermal energy from seawater, dramatically reducing its carbon footprint and using only 20% of the energy of a traditional boiler/chiller system. Seawater also flushes the toilets, drastically cutting potable water consumption.

‘Windcatchers’ on the roof are used for natural ventilation, reducing the need for costly mechanical air-conditioning. Higher wind speeds on the coast allow the system to supply and extract air to and from the terminal.

Thanks to its sustainable features, the building has achieved a BREEAM (an international environmental rating system for buildings) rating of “very good”.