We write, not on behalf of any particular party, cause or group, but as two Bermudian professionals who have worked in our respective professions for more than 40 years, have a great love for our island and are deeply concerned for its future.

Michael Dunkley, the Premier, has written that the present proposal for the construction of Bermuda’s new airport by Aecon, a Canadian company backed by the Canadian Government, is “the right deal at the right time for the right reasons”. We took him at his word, looked at the plans and then took the virtual tour through the proposed new airport that the Government provided. During that tour, we did not feel in any way that we were in Bermuda. We felt like we were in one of the many too easily forgotten Middle American or Canadian provincial airports that function well but were built to serve only one purpose, which was to transit passengers from the ground to the air and back as efficiently as possible.

There was no sense or feel of Bermuda in the airport; either on the outside or the inside.

Bermuda is in the tourism business and the tea leaves of geopolitical events indicate that we may need to grow and recharge this business merely to survive. The airport is the first impression that a tourist gets of Bermuda and the last impression they have upon departing. The right airport would be one designed to inject the spirit of Bermuda into them upon arrival and leave that spirit with them on departure.

The planned airport before us does not do either. Unlike the new hospital, the Government did not come up with a concept and then go to the people for approval. In the case of the hospital, the first concept was not accepted by the people and withdrawn. When the new concept was accepted, the Government of the day decided to build it on the public-private partnership basis in the same way as this government proposes to have this airport built. Wendell Hollis was deputy chairman of the Bermuda Hospitals Board at that time and the BHB was determined that it would not be subject to criticism on — or an inquiry into — how the process of the building of the new hospital would be carried out. The BHB decided to engage KPMG, one of the world’s top four accounting firms, to advise it every step of the way.

Ironically, KPMG appointed Malcolm Butterfield, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee just put together to review and justify the figures for the new airport, to be its liaison officer for the hospital project. Butterfield advised that the process should start with a request for proposals. So an RFP was formulated under KPMG’s guidance and issued to the world of finance and construction. More than ten international consortiums with Bermudian participation entered the bidding process. Their proposals included designing, building, financing and maintaining the new hospital. Under the watchful eye and scrutiny of KPMG, those proposals were reduced to five, then to three and finally down to the successful bidder. At each step of the way, the BHB made the final decision under the review of KPMG, which issued and signed an opinion that all was above board and that the process was handled with absolute fairness.

Bermuda got the new hospital that it needed and that it wanted.

The design before us now is not the airport that we need or want. It is too large and thereby too expensive — and it is not Bermudian. We have examined the plans and taken the time and effort, at personal cost, to come up with a design that is Bermudian and more in scale with what Bermuda needs. As can be seen from the drawings accompanying this opinion, it looks like an airport that “we would be proud to be Bermudian”.

We took the initiative to create an alternate design in the image of what was felt more appropriate, thus giving Bermudians a chance to take pause and reflect on this decision and its long-term implications with a visual image. We feel that it is undeniable that Bermuda needs a new airport. It is unfortunate that many Bermudians are left feeling railroaded and frustrated, with an overwhelming sense of a lack of transparency that gives rise to suspicion.

Bermuda has an iconic cultural heritage, with our unique and readily identifiable Bermudian architecture, which is part of our DNA, and it seems a matter of common sense that it should be incorporated and reflected in our national airport. We have taken the initiative to draft up a set of conceptual drawings of what a Bermuda airport should look and feel like. The accompanying rendering is but one of them.

We feel that it is incumbent on all Bermudians to take an active and participatory role in determining our future, and the airport should be one where both consensus and national interest take precedence over the immediacy of political expediency. We wish to confirm that it is not our intent or will to make a political statement on the matter, but rather to take a practical second look at the proposed development to ensure that we are going down the right path without compromise.

The proposed facility is massive in size, and past experience has taught us that bigger is not necessarily better — and it costs a lot more. Thoughtful Bermudian design that incorporates common sense, tried and tested Bermudian building practices and sensible systems that are operationally simple and easy to maintain, replace or repair are the main ingredients that should go into this project. Our design is not intended to be the solution, but a reflection of the direction in which many feel we should be going before it is too late. However, on Tuesday evening, the Minister of Finance was quoted as saying: “The train has already left the station.”

That is sad.

Our plans present Bermudian rooflines based on an easily expandable, repetitive grid system designed for planned expansion as required in the future. The plans incorporate modern airport function and design, with a forward-thinking look that includes significant elements of our heritage.

The front entry, for example, might be an 80ft by 80ft area with a tubular steel structure in the shape of a Bermuda buttery roof soaring up and giving both a strong sense of openness and a nod to our heritage. Passengers would know and feel that they were in the “Bermuda Airport” rather than some nondescript entity.

This design is also 25 per cent smaller than the proposed facility, resulting in nearly $100 million in savings. We would ask Bermudians to think about what vision they want to see rather than the Aecon vision, which is better suited for elsewhere and wholly inapplicable to our island.

Now is the time to make that decision and it should be driven by one very simple test: what is best for Bermuda and Bermudians now and in the future?

• Wendell Hollis, a long-time public servant including a spell as a United Bermuda Party senator, is principal of the private consultant HCS Law and specialises in immigration, nationality and employment matters

Andrew Outerbridge, an award-winning designer, has been involved in architecture, planning and design for more than 40 years. His experience includes working with the Bermuda Government as a planner and in private practice with numerous residential and commercial projects in Bermuda and across the United States