The Dutch project is a sleeve-passage through which passengers get from the main terminal to the arrivals area A. It is a multifunctional and flexible space for placing various kinds of infrastructure facilities, which connects to the existing structure of the airport and allows three buildings to function together at once. In the future, the facility is part of the program to transform Brussels Airport into a pan-European transport hub.
The glass "body" of the passage is covered with a rectangular "blanket" of the roof with longitudinal window cuts; all together is a typical example of "non-linear" design. The resulting folds resemble traces of powerful geological transformations of the earth's crust. In places, the layered roof almost bends down to the ground the volume of the passage, in places slightly revealing its vast glazed surfaces. Inside, the ceiling is supported by graceful Y-shaped supports. Natural light enters the interior, in addition to horizontal slots, through triangular windows in the floors.
The architects divided the transition space into levels according to their function: a two-storey retail zone that runs along the entire building acts as a kind of "ridge". Passing it, after checking their luggage, passengers enter the waiting area with duty-free shops and cafes, which the architects have designed in the form of a two-story plaza. At the highest point of the structure, there is a panoramic café area with views of the busy plaza and shopping area below, as well as the runways outside.
N. K.
