Infrastructure & Aviation

Oslo Airport - Non Schengen expansion

Project information

  1. Location Oslo Airport, Norway
  2. Area29.800 m²
  3. Construction cost3,3 bn NOK

Project details

  1. Year2015 — 2022
  2. StatusCompleted
  3. Partners COWI
  4. Client Avinor AS
  5. Enquiries Ingrid Motzfeldt
  6. Scope Airport planning and design
    Sustainability
    VIZ
    BIM

Extending the eastern pier

Nordic has recently completed an extension of pier east at Oslo Airport. This space for passengers travelling to outside the Schengen area has higher security demands than the rest of the airport. The new four-floor building houses departure gates, waiting areas and pre-boarding facilities, commercial spaces, offices, border control facilities, transfer centre and lounges. The project also includes extended taxiways and aircraft parking areas.

New heights

To respond to the evolving needs of the airport, the existing pier has gone through a series of changes since it was built. The new extension had to both connect to the existing building and to redefine the architectural approach. As there is a limit to how long the new extension can be, the new volume is larger than the original part it connects to. Width is dictated by the existing pier, while the height is increased as much as possible without the control tower losing visibility.

A unique identity

The project has strict demands on cost-efficiency and programme. To meet this challenge, the facade panels and the glass panels have been standardised. This also means a drastic change in the rhythm of the façade from the connecting original pier.

The lower level of the pier is continued as a solid concrete base, while the upper floors are more transparent and lightweight to maximise natural light. The glass panels alternate between slanting in- and outwards, creating a crystalline pattern and that gives the pier a unique architectural character within the airport complex.

Scandinavian feel

Internally, the palette is adapted from the original and consists of, light-coloured wooden claddings and ceramic tiles, linear metal ceilings, light glass partitions and metal meshes – all detailed in a clean, Scandinavian style.