Site Access and Infrastructure

Access to the airport is gained by both road and rail. All road access is now fed exclusively by Highway 409. The design directives from Pearson Airport anticipate a Subway line to the airport, and as such, this is incorporated into our scheme. By road, one enters the site and is immediately immersed in the wilderness that covers the hill on the city-side of the airport grounds. There is no direct view of the terminal itself, but planes may be seen in the air, and a hint of the domestic wing of the terminal may be seen. As the vehicle progresses along the road, views of the terminal are gradually revealed to the driver until emerging onto the departing or arriving roads in the canyon, where the entire sweep of the terminal is visible. Upon leaving the site, the terminal gradually disappears behind the trees and the hill, and the transformation into the city is made. This process clearly identifies the airport as a place in the Canadian landscape, and provides a buffer to and from the city fabric. By rail, one enters completely underground and emerges into the parking structure and is provided with a panoramic view of the main body of the terminal, and the bridges and roads that span the canyon.