grimshaw architects: pulkovo airport phase 1 nears completion

‘pulkovo aiport’ by grimshaw architects, st. petersburg, russiaimage © grimshaw architects

the ‘pulkovo airport’ by international practice grimshaw architects is the first piece of a sustainable master plan that will serve as a gateway between st. petersburg and the rest of the world. the first phase of the project will transfer 12 million travelers and will be finished in 2013, while the second phase is expected to be completed in 2015 and by then will accommodate 17 million people. the concept of the airport took form from the layoutof the city. separate bays are connected by bridges, as buildings are connected across the river, and have an open view down to the lower arrivalfloor, connecting those leaving and those going. the strategy helps bring closure to the journey that begins and ends in the same structure whenvisiting the area. regularly spaced columns with branching steel trusses make rhythmic bays that effectively transfer snow loads. the structure of thecanopy then protrudes into the space, so the visitor is allowed to appreciate its character which peels back at certain points to open skylights.  all the aspects of the terminal in some way reflect the nature of its host city, such as the reflective golden ceiling like the cathedral domes and angulargeometries seen throughout the russian designs.

construction process and walkthroughvideo © grimshaw architects

golden reflective ceiling amplifies lightimage © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

bird’s eye viewimage © grimshaw architects

facade and roof constructionimage © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

concrete columns support the metal truss roof systemimage © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

interiorimage © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

skylightsimage © grimshaw architects

image © grimshaw architects

soffit designimage © grimshaw architects

canopy detailimage © grimshaw architects

exploded detailimage © grimshaw architects

canopy explodedimage © grimshaw architects

light deflector detailimage © grimshaw architects