Text: M. Zisso; Photo: MVRDV archive
Václav Havel Airport Prague (formerly Prague Ruzyně International Airport) is the international airport of Prague, the Czech Republic’s capital and biggest city. The airport was founded in 1937, when it replaced the Kbely Airport. Prague Airport offers flights to over 150 destinations, with 65 different airlines. Before COVID-19, the number of passengers traveling through the airport was around 18 million. Nowadays, however, with the number of tourists to the Czech Republic being higher than it was in 2019, the management of Václav Havel Airport has decided on a flexible extension.
MVRDV and NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants) have won the competition to design three new buildings at Václav Havel Airport Prague, via a competition organized by CCEA MOBA on behalf of Prague Airport.
The design extends Terminal 1 of the airport with new buildings for a central security facility of the airport’s security area, business and VIP lounges, and a vertiport. On the other side of the airport loop road, another building will contain a hotel, conference center, and parking facilities. These sustainable, hybrid structures offer the airport a great deal of flexibility to accommodate any future expansion or rearrangement easily.
Meanwhile, the exteriors are ‘draped’ with an illuminated, programmable satellite image of the Czech Republic to form three “Czech Lanterns” that define a new airport boulevard and welcome visitors from afar.
Gideon Maasland
Together, the three buildings will be the first elements of the airport that passengers see upon arrival, whether they are landing by plane, or traveling to the airport by car, taxi, or bus. The additions to Terminal 1 itself extend the existing departures hall eastward in two phases, with the first hosting additional passenger handling areas such as the security screening.
A table-like, hybrid structural approach based on four supporting cores and large uninterrupted spans forms the flexible base for the new buildings. Concrete and steel are necessary for parts of the structure, while glued laminated timber joists support lightweight hollow concrete floors to reduce the structure’s embodied carbon.
With frontages onto both the airport loop and the airfield, the two airport terminal expansion buildings are designed to be as transparent as possible, allowing direct views through the building to the other side.
Courtyards between the buildings are densely planted with local species of vegetation, giving the appearance of a thick forest on each side of the security area.
Winy Mass
In the first phase, the security process is designed to be seamless: the vertiport access, as well as business and VIP lounges, are located on the first floor, allowing there to be no level changes or opaque barriers in the security area. This means that the travelers’ goal – the airfield – is always visible. Combined with the view of nature on either side of the building, this helps to minimize the stress of travelers’ journey through the airport.
The second phase building is proposed as a ‘twin’ to the security expansion, with a similar size and the same structural principle. The design team reasoned that this building’s direct frontage onto the airfield would prove to be extremely valuable in the future as the airport continues to expand. With a simple and flexible layout, this building area could be easily transformed into a part of the airport’s handling areas in the future, avoiding a costly and unsustainable reconstruction process.
The buildings are ‘draped’ in a green satellite image of the Czech Republic, visible on both the roof and the ceiling of the interior. On the exterior, this printed glass incorporates photovoltaics to generate a portion of the energy used by the building. It also incorporates programmable lighting elements that allow the building to communicate information about various current events around the country. In addition to providing the buildings’ characteristic appearance, this printed glass also makes the project more sustainable by reducing solar irradiation at strategic points.
On the other side of the airport boulevard, the third building in the proposal hosts a conference venue and hotel atop a parking structure. Taking advantage of the wedge-shaped site, the design incorporates a grand, five-story entrance lobby at its front corner that welcomes visitors driving towards the airport. Like the two airport expansion buildings, it is draped in a satellite image of the country, a portion of which features prominently on the lobby wall. As in the other buildings, flexibility is key to the design to accommodate potential changes in the program over time.
“Most airport experiences these days have become detached from any sense of place, or any sense of control for the traveler”, says MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas. “At Prague, this will soon be different. As you pass through security you will feel surrounded by the greenness of the Czech landscape – in the ceiling, which shows its green landscapes, and in the courtyards nearby, which host plants that are recognizable from the Czech biotope. The experience will give a sense of calm and control… a moment to feel grounded, just before you take off. Coming back to the Czech Republic gives a sense of return, with the three Czech Lanterns guiding you home from afar.”
Facts
Project Name: The Czech Lanterns
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Year: 2023–
Client: Prague Airport
Size and Programme: 83,000m2 Airport terminal extension + Conference centre/Hotel/Parking building Sustainability certification: 3+ Airport carbon accreditation program
Credits
Architect: MVRDV + NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants) Founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas Director: Gideon Maasland
Design Team: Gijs Rikken, Gustavo van Staveren, Daniele Dalbosco, and Mercedes Andrades
Strategy and Development: Jesper Ewoldt, Alex Rodriquez
Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
Partners
Co-architect: NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants)
Visualisations: © Atchain
“This is a unique project, one which we are very proud to be part of ”added Esther Kromhout, Director at NACO.“ Underpinned by the principles of sustainability and building for the future, we’re also embracing unique design elements, that will make for a very immersive, exciting experience as passengers pass through the airport. We look forward to working closely with MVRDV and local partners to design a beautiful yet resilient extension to the airport.”
According to Jiří Kraus, Vice-chairman of the board of directors of Václav Havel airport, “working with a globally active architecture studio represents a promise to build world-class architecture with a contemporary approach and a strong emphasis on sustainability and adequacy. ”He says:“ We are very happy that the competition attracted extraordinary interest among architects, including foreign ones. The object of Terminal 1 centralized with the development solution for the Terminal 2 expansion, will become the cornerstone of a large-scale mosaic of a strategically important project, completing the capacity-building process for the terminal and raising the airport to a new level of competitiveness and resilience in the future.”