The Zagreb Airport is a strategically placed important European hub, connecting key capital cities and responsible for passenger flow across the continent.
The new expansion proposed by Zaha Hadid Architects will comprise of a new passenger terminal building that is 75,000 square meters which is predicted to allow double the amount of annual passengers through the airport from 5 million to 10 million. The master plan itself consists of 500,000 square meters of mixed-use development.
Zaha Hadid Architects’s vision for the new terminal is a distinctive, environmentally advanced building, organized through a series of flow lines, and set in a tapestry-like configuration where landscaped spaces and strategies for future expansion are designed in a single gesture.
With the new design the existing facilities of the airport are merely being extended to allow for more passengers, while also introducing new state-of-the-art technologies to enable a more pleasant experience.
photography by © Josip Škof
The series of flow lines that are organized on the site place a emphasis on longitudinal subdivisions. In addition the fluid grid principle produced an overall site design which blurs the distinction between building and landscape, intensifying the relationship between interior and exterior.
The interior of the terminal follows a similar language as the exterior envelope, creating no clear distinction between floor, walls, and roofs, instead being devised as a continuous structure containing program elements on multiple levels. The whole structure seamlessly integrates natural light, ventilation, access, signage, and viewing areas to generate a terminal experience that is both logical and enjoyable for passengers, visitors, and those who work there.
photography by © Josip Škof
By
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects