To meet future demand, Copenhagen Airport has embarked on an expansion of Terminal 3 that dwarfs previous expansions and consolidates it as one of the best in the world. The new 80,000-m2 expansion will extend the existing one-roof terminal that draws in light, nature and the city, and put everything within reach. Architecturally, the expansion unites the existing qualities with simple solutions that ensure that it is equally spectacular, simple and calm.
The buildings of Copenhagen Airport combine flexibility, function and aesthetics from different periods. Each terminal has its own qualities and together they form a large urban building complex that reflects an ambitious vision of maintaining everything under one roof.
Designed under a single undulating roof, the new expansion combines these qualities. The new terminal area that lets diffuse natural light into the large space under a wavy ceiling that references the first Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal and the clouds in the sky. Open, green light shafts with hanging plants serve as landmark crevices in the transparent ceiling. They ensure a simultaneous flow of direct sunlight and diffuse daylight.
In the evening, the ceiling appear as a single, unified surface reflecting a starry sky. The heart of the terminal is an open space with a large garden that will provide passengers with an intuitive overview and an impressive runway view from the 270-metre-long window section. A suspended, column-free floor divides the space into two levels, continuing the natural integration of the existing architecture.
A natural flow inspired by the Inner City of Copenhagen
The heart of Copenhagen is the main concept for the new expansion, where scale and structure from the Inner City form the framework for an inspiring urban landscape. The site plan disposition takes its inspiration from one of historic Copenhagen’s most famous and well-functioning urban environments: the area around Højbro Plads, with roughly the same geographic size as the new airport expansion. This creates a natural flow with clear references to Copenhagen.
Existing ceilings and floors, central elements of the architecture of the Copenhagen Airport, inspire the expansion design. All airport ceilings tell a story of a consistent focus on quality and aesthetics, combined with a highly technical functionality – such as the undulating ceilings in the Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal from 1939, the white slats and characteristic round skylights in the 1960 Terminal 2 as well as the arched wings of Terminal 3 from 1998. The high quality flooring is another characteristic feature of the airport, and lends all terminals a coherent expression. The wooden floors on the first floor give travellers a calm, pleasant feel and offer an intuitive sense of location. The baggage reclaim area has granite flooring.
Nordic nature as a focal point
The Nordic nature will be a spectacular recreational element of the new expansion. One large central garden, two green walls, and three functional, covered light shafts with hanging gardens reflect the Nordic nature and invite to recreational stays. After leaving the tax-free area, passengers are greeted by an open central square that provides a quick overview and a magnificent view of the runways. In the square centre, the central garden provides a recreational element, and the surrounding space allows for changing exhibitions and events. The large garden extends from an opening in the roof, vertically through the building and down into the baggage reclaim area. Here, undulating wooden panels cover installations, and individual ceiling curves cause small spatial effects on a relatable, human scale. The light shafts and the large garden space will illuminate all of it during the day. On all floors, the garden evokes a green and sensuous dimension, and – as it is open to the outdoors – it will change continuously throughout the years as seasons interweave with the surrounding space.
Technically, the proposal presents an operational and modular system with clear design principles, logical locations of critical functions, and future expansion potentials.
