A striking timber canopy will tower over Lithuania’s largest airport by commercial passenger numbers after the internationally acclaimed Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) – the architect behind the world’s greenest football stadium – won an international competition to design Vilnius Airport’s terminal. Announced yesterday, the sculpted timber roof, suspended over the arrivals hall, is inspired by traditional Lithuanian craft and folklore, and is undoubtedly the standout feature for a terminal that is expected to welcome 10.6 million passengers annually.
“Evoking the experience of being immersed within traditional sodai, the terminal’s pleated roof finished in timber from local forests defines the interiors and reflects the art form’s delicate, interconnected geometries,” according to media release from ZHA, who said the design draws on the geometry of the sodai and the delicate straw garden ornaments that are inscribed in the UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. “For us, functionality and the highest level of passenger experience are most important,” said Simonas Bartkus, CEO of Lithuanian Airports. “The winning proposal combines these requirements with unique architectural solutions that connect the airport’s contemporary and future infrastructure with our cultural identity.”
Positioned next to the historic Terminal 1, which dates back to the 1950s, and the recently constructed departure terminal, Wood Central understands that the new timber-roofed structure is key to completing the planned tripartite ensemble: “The result is an architectural language that is both innovative and rooted in local heritage. Looking to the future, the terminal’s design offers a seamless passenger experience directly connected with the city’s transport network,” according to Ludovico Lomabarid, a director at ZHA.
Incorporating double-insulated glazing, hybrid natural ventilation, and predictive building systems that effectively respond to daily passenger flows, the passively designed terminal will feature more than 13,000 square metres of solar panels, aiming for a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating: “The design presents a mature architectural solution for a public infrastructure project of this scale,” says Vilnius City Chief Executive Officer Laura Kairienė. “It boldly steps into the future but maintains respect for its location and the environment.”
Increasingly, airport terminals are opting for mass timber roofs.
The new arrivals hall comes after Wood Central last week reported that a new mass timber roof at Kelowna International Airport (YLW) was finally installed over the new site of Canada’s 10th largest airport. Part of a $422 million upgrade project, the roof features a unique waffle-slab design consisting of glulam girders, which will be cantilevered five metres in a north-south direction, spanning 20 metres over steel columns extended from the main floor. Whilst in Georgia, multi-Grammy award-winning musician and tree farmer Chuck Leavell is behind a scheme that will see the Middle Georgia Regional Airport partially built out of Southern Yellow Pine:
“The choice to use mass timber was because of the design of what the building represents, the iconic acoustic guitar,” said Chris Nardone, the lead architect for Passero Associates, the architect behind the design. “Then also, when you think of Georgia and the South, you think of barns and nice weathered wood country houses. Nothing beats natural finishes because it’s warm, and when you come to Georgia and think country, you want warmth.”
