Ambitious airports

Redevelopment and extension of the old terminal of Brussels Airport The project consists of the renovation and extension of the old terminal of Zaventem airport. It will accommodate 32,000² of offices for rent, as well as a new underground car park, in addition to the existing one. The concept is to optimise the interior space by constructing an atrium in which the vertical circulations will be re-concentrated away from outside noise nuisance. In the centre of the building, there will be a multi-purpose space, as well as a reception surrounded by an indoor garden and a water pool. More

The design for the Brussels Airport Connector Building focuses on providing a highly efficient, flexible infrastructural element that connects to and negotiates the existing airport architecture. The connector is part of the future ambition of the Brussels Airport to create a European hub in Brussels. The design approach ensures cohesive functioning of the three buildings, with the Connector Building establishing a seamless connection between the two contrasting identities of the terminal and Pier A, whilst simultaneously creating its own new identity. The Connector incorporates logistical efficiency in handling passenger flows, security and operational processes. Additionally, opportunities for commercial activity are maximised with the n... More

Kuwait International Airport is planned to significantly increase capacity and establish a new regional air hub in the Gulf – the project’s strategic aims will be matched by a state-of-the-art terminal building, which will provide the highest levels of comfort for passengers and will set a new environmental benchmark for airport buildings. Its design is rooted in a sense of place, responsive to the climate of one of the hottest inhabited environments on earth and inspired by local forms and materials. The terminal has a trefoil plan, comprising three symmetrical wings of departure gates. Each façade spans 1.2 kilometres and all extend from a dramatic 25-metre-high central space. The terminal balances the enclosure of this vast area with... More

UNStudio's recently completed Kutaisi International Airport serves domestic and international flights for use by tourists, national politicians and international diplomats. The airport is destined to become a central hub, with up to one million travellers targeted in 2014-2015. Current figures for the airport show 30 flights per week, with an increase to 40 expected in Spring 2014, by which time direct flights from Western Europe to Kutaisi will also be possible. UNStudio's design comprises the full airport development, including a revision of the runway, the master plan for the landscape and planned future development thereof, the terminal building, offices, a meteorological station and the air traffic control tower. Ben van Berkel:... More

The River, a mixed-use structure to serve Zurich Airport, ‘flows’ in response to differing external conditions – as a continuous curve towards the airport, as a convex erosion on the other side. The building’s ‘interior urbanism’ facilitates and encourages interaction amongst different program elements, while also maintaining a practical vertical ‘stack’ for each in order to rationalize services and circulation. Clarity of access is of paramount importance, with entry to both vertical and horizontal pathways focused on three major voids or ‘canyons’, which cut through the building to merge on an open-plan top floor. These canyons serve to indicate major points of entry to the complex and also reinforce major circulation routes. The t... More

Harbin is a city of seven million people located four hours flying time north of Beijing and with a very specific landscape, climate and history. The brief for this new 45 million passenger International and Domestic Terminal was to provide a word class facility that could be identified as regional and progressive – a gateway and hub for North East China. The design competition entry was prepared by HASSELL in association with CNARDI, AYD and AIRBIZ. It draws on the city’s identity as an ‘ice city’ and contender to host the 2020 winter Olympics. The forms are referenced in the fractured ice that covers the local Songua River in the winter and the structure was developed using a computerised 3D matrix incorporating lucky Chinese numbers a... More

Terminal 2 is located adjacent to the existing Hong Kong International Airport Passenger Terminal Building. This project provides expanded passenger facilities, serving as the transportation hub and “town square” of SkyCity, the commercial development at Chek Lap Kok. Terminal 2 is a building of quality, architectural distinction and unique identity. The exterior focus is surface and texture. The undulating shapes of the mullions creating a 3D “wave”; any glimpse of the exterior reveals the unique texture with the most dynamic reading offered whilst travelling around the building. The “big box” nature softened with rounded corners; transitions blurred by “blending” zones of alternating metal and glass bands. LED lights wash the build... More

Shenzhen stands at a crossroads. Already with an unsurpassable technology sector fueling the economic engine of China, the next great leap will be in ideas and services: Cultural Capital. Our vision is predicated on this future. The architecture for T3 Shenzhen Airport will epitomize intelligent environments; an architecture that embraces everything from life and work, to culture and ecology. Indeed the new terminal is poised to become the symbol of the new China. The “high-tech” architecture which has colonized emerging economies world-wide has had its day - a new architecture which resonates in culture, symbolism and an intelligent future has come to fore. The airport, perhaps the quintessential modern typology, has paradoxica... More