JETBLUE UNIVERSITY
Orlando, FloridaFLYING HIGH WITHOUT EVER LEAVING THE GROUND
CLIENT
JetBlue Airways
SIZE
105,500 sf
SERVICES
Design Services
AWARDS
National Merit Award, DBIA, 2006
Best Private Building, Southeast Construction Magazine, 2005
ABC Eagle Award, 2005
Before they ever take to the air, airline pilots and supporting flight crews, need to train in a real world environment without real world passengers. While this scenario is hard to recreate, BRPH incorporated the next best thing…simulation.JetBlue University accommodates 200 permanent daytime staff and up to 300 students, and provides training facilities for all Jet Blue pilots and flight crew, as well as technical support and customer service staff. The University includes classroom space, an auditorium, cafeteria, office space, a specialized, heated outdoor emergency slide/raft training pool, and a 36 foot-high simulator hall.
High bay spaces punctuated by large glazed openings showcase multiple simulators (four Airbus A320, two Embraer E190, and two cabin simulators) allow users and guests to appreciate the dynamic learning environment within.
Located on the grounds of Orlando International Airport, solutions were incorporated to mitigate both internal and external noise and vibration from the adjacent runways, and from the simulators disrupting nearby classrooms.
The form and materials of the facility echo the duality of innovation and tradition that have made JetBlue Airways a success. The building expresses this by placing the rectilinear precast concrete form of the simulator halls and classrooms in juxtaposition to the composite metal cladding and elliptical curtainwall glazing of the building entry.