Mexican Government Chooses Norman Foster and Fernando Romero's 'World's Most Sustainable' Design for Mexico City Airport

The Mexican government has chosen a design by Norman Foster and Fernando Romero as the winner for Mexico City's new airport.

The $9.2 billion airport will replace Mexico City's current aging and overcrowded facility, increasing the number of potential passengers and adhering to sustainable standards.

British architect Foster, his firm Foster & Partners and Mexican architect Romero and his firm FR-EE had the winning design that the Mexican government chose for Mexico City's new airport, according to Architectural Digest.

The team plans on making "the world's most sustainable airport," featuring an LEED Platinum design with systems to collect rainwater and sunlight for energy. Materials will be produced locally, when possible, and sustainably, creating many local jobs.

According to The Associated Press, the new airport will be built on 11,400 acres of government land some six miles from the current airport. It is projected to handle 120 million passengers a year unlike the Mexican capital's current airport, which only handles 32 million passengers a year.

Construction of the structure will take 50 years, said the government, and will feature six runways. Secretary of Transportation Gerardo Ruiz said that construction of the new airport would begin in 2015.

President Enrique Pena Nieto said that by 2020 three runways would be finished, handling around 52 million passengers a year. He praised the design as a "grand work, a symbol of modern Mexico."

However, the airport plans are not without their critics. Former Secretary of the Environment Jose Luege told a Mexican radio station that the airport's location is unsuitable and prone to flooding.

But Ruiz denied these allegations, claiming studies have shown the area is appropriate for the airport.

According to Gizmodo Australia, Mexico City's planned new mega airport could potentially be the most sustainable yet. Its design would need little energy use, doing away with the need for buses or trains to move passengers between distant gates. It will also have a natural ventilation pattern that would make heating and air conditioning unnecessary for most of the year.