Oslo Airport has released news of their expansion project. The new terminal is groundbreaking in terms of sustainability, and the design is competition winning. The Oslo terminal is said to be the world’s greenest terminal.
The expansion project will double the size of their existing terminal building and will include a 300m long pier. The terminal has managed to achieve the world’s first BREEAM ‘excellent’ sustainalbility rating awarded to an airport building. The terminal extension was designed by the Oslo based practice Nordic-Office of Architecture. The extension measures 115,000 sq. m. and will feature a cooling system that uses snow as the coolant.
The Nordic design is expected to increase the capacity of the airport from 19 million to 30 million. The passenger flow of the airport will also be improved, with the maximum walking distance becoming just 450m which is significantly shorter than a number of other airports.
The design team included members from a range of different disciplines to make sure that there the terminal was created holistically and to ensure that as much on-site energy is harvested as possible. During the winter, snow will be collected from the runway and stored in an onsite depot and used as a coolant in the summer. The terminal extension used Natural materials throughout, with the new pier being clad in timber that has been sourced from Scandinavian forests. Also used in the building is recycled steel and environmentally friendly concrete that has been mixed with volcanic ash. It is thought that using environmentally friendly materials when building the terminal, the CO² emissions have been reduced by 35%.
Throughout the design process passenger comfort has been at the centre of the process. The use of artificial lighting is minimal in order to supplement the high levels of natural daylight let in to the space. The use of natural daylight allows the weather to determine the mood of the space as well. The compact new space is open which makes it easier for travelers to find their way around the terminal.
