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Environment

‘We wanted to prove we didn’t need air conditioning’: the airport cooled by natural ventilation

The Guardian UK Friday 25 September 2026, 05:00 UTC By Rachel Savage 1 min read
Key Points

At Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, the ceiling design funnels a light tropical breeze into the terminal At the arrivals terminal at Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, visitors are greeted by floor-to-ceiling windows framing the lush green mountains of the French Indian Ocean territory. What they may have also expected was the icy chill of air conditioning; this island just off Madagascar sits in the tropical zone to the south of the equator. But instead, the terminal is cooled...

At Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, the ceiling design funnels a light tropical breeze into the terminal

At the arrivals terminal at Roland Garros airport on Réunion island, visitors are greeted by floor-to-ceiling windows framing the lush green mountains of the French Indian Ocean territory.

What they may have also expected was the icy chill of air conditioning; this island just off Madagascar sits in the tropical zone to the south of the equator. But instead, the terminal is cooled by a light tropical breeze, the result of natural ventilation built into its unique design.

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Roland Garros airport (LOCATION) Réunion island (LOCATION) Roland Garros (LOCATION) French (ORG) Indian Ocean (LOCATION) Madagascar (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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