Helsinki Airport Departures and Arrivals Building

The new entrance to Helsinki Airport Terminal 2, currently under construction in front of the existing terminal building, comprises two volumes: the first one housing the departures and arrivals halls, and the second the security control and baggage claim areas. The expansion will significantly increase the terminal’s facilities available for check-in, security control and baggage drop services. As soon as the new building is completed, the existing departures and arrivals areas of Terminal 2 will be transformed into Schengen gate areas. This solution will provide both passengers and services with plenty of additional space while also simplifying the airport structure. The new departures and arrivals halls, projecting from the existing terminal volume, will become the new face of the airport, whereas the building for security control and baggage claim, even if further back, will be recognizable due to its blue façade coloring. The imposing new departures hall is designed as a continuous space decked by an undulating wooden ceiling comprising over 300 individually designed elements. The underside of the ceiling is like an upside-down version of the topography one sees when looking out a plane window. The departures hall will include 86 check-in desks and points divided into six “islands”. The lower level of the building will be used by arriving passengers, as well as by those coming to the terminal by bus, train, bike or foot and those coming from the parking facilities. New baggage reclaim areas will be efficiently combined into one single hall with 11 long conveyor belts that can be walked around. The large openings in the upper departures hall visually link the two levels. Even if the building aims to become an architecturally landmark its structural solution is simple and economically designed and its spatial solution allows for future flexibility. The overall design follows the airport’s strategy of having all facilities under “one roof” so that transferring passengers can easily and swiftly walk between Terminals 1 and 2. In addition to the terminal expansion, the airport area will also include plenty of other new construction such as a new connection to the railway station, a new 1800-car parking facility, a new bus station and a new taxi station. All of the construction work is being done while the airport remains fully functional. The 40,000 SqM expansion is being built following the BREEAM Excellent criteria. The construction work began in January 2019 with the expansion slated for completion in late 2021 and the renovation and modification works in 2023. The design is based on the winning entry in the invited competition for teams of architects and engineers held in 2016-2017.