The Airport Square

  • Client

    Københavns Lufthavn A/S

  • Collaborators

    MOE, Henrik Jørgensen A/S, Aarsleff/Brdr. Hedegaard, Jakon og Malmos Landskaber

  • Area

    7,500 m2

  • Status

    Completed in 2019

Infrastructure

The Airport Square

A small Danish natural landscape has grown between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 at Copenhagen Airport. With clear architectural features from the two terminals' use of Nordic wood, steel columns and good spaciousness, the airport square creates a clear connection, from inside to outside. The airport square has been given a twist that pays tribute to the Danish coasts, where passengers, employees and 'meeters and greeters' can take a break from a classically busy airport atmosphere.

The recreational accommodation

If you fly over the airport square, your thoughts will automatically be directed towards a Danish coastal landscape. The airport square is covered in light granite, reminiscent of the North Sea. Small dunes made of sand-colored plinths are placed, and from the air the terraced plinths are recreated as soft waves in motion. The tiered seating plinths invite visitors to stay and use the recreational square. If you look up at the tiered seating plinths, you will get the feeling of looking up at the Danish beach. On top of the plinths are reeds, mountain pines and birch trees that whistle in the wind, and shoots of light grasses, lupines and flower bulbs are planted.

A break in traffic

The recreational airport square is a car-free area, where the noise from cars, taxis and bus traffic is shielded, so that you can safely use the space to say goodbye to/or welcome travelers.

The seating plinths form the back to the east and the cover of the Øresund connection, and the square is on top of a parking garage, where the entrance and exit are also hidden by the seating plinths

Three canopies are located around the airport square and are covered in steel and sedum. From above, the roofs look like small islands in the granite landscape, and they create an elegant transition between the square and the terminals.

A playground consisting of an 8-metre-long plane gives younger travelers the opportunity to explore the airport square before heading off on their real journey. The creative playground was designed by MONSTRUM and is located in front of the airport.

High sustainability and long shelf life

The seat plinths consist of a load-bearing steel structure and are covered with accoya wood, acellated New Zealand Radiata Pine. A total of more than 20,000 meters of accoya wood has been installed on the site, which will patina over time. The wood used for the seat plinths is FSC certified and the Swan label. It is cradle to cradle gold, which has an effect that provides high sustainability and a long shelf life, so that the space can remain a fixed point of reference for the future.

Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects has been responsible for client consultancy, sketching and project planning together with MOE. The planting has been done in collaboration with Henrik Jørgensen Landskab, Monstrum has been responsible for the playground flyer.

Other projects
The Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal - Copenhagen Airport
The Timber House
Terminal 3 - Copenhagen Airport
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