Designed by Oslo-based practice Nordic-Office of Architecture, the 115,000 sqm expansion to Oslo Airport sets new standards in sustainability. The competition-winning design, which uses snow as a coolant, has achieved the world’s first BREEAM ‘Excellent’ sustainability rating for an airport building.
Photography: Dag Spant
The expansion doubles the size of the existing terminal building with the addition of a new, 300m long pier. Nordic continued the timeless architectural expression and rational simplicity of the original airport – which the practice designed in 1998 – whilst introducing new design elements to enhance the passenger experience. Nordic also updated the existing train station, which sits at the heart of the airport enabling 70% of all passengers to access the airport by public transport.
Nordic’s design increases the airport capacity from 19million to an anticipated future capacity of 30miliion, whilst passenger flow was improved with a maximum walking distance of just 450m, far shorter than most airports.
Photography: Knut Ramstad
The multi-disciplinary design team applied a holistic approach to sustainability, including the harvesting of as much on-site energy as possible. Snow from the runways will be collected and stored during wintertime in an on-site depot to be used as a coolant during the summer. Natural materials have been used throughout the building: the new pier is entirely clad in timber sourced from...