In order to position Zagreb as a major point of entry into South-Eastern Europe, Zagreb International Airport achieved its growth plan with a new terminal measuring 65.000m². The new terminal building large glass facade surfaces gives the passengers the c

Zagreb Airport, which is situated in the suburb of Pleso in Croatia, is the country’s main international airport. Two main ideas were at the origin of the airports’ new terminal. First of all, Zagreb Airport was expected to handle initially five million passengers a year, and eight million in the subsequent years through further expansion, compared with the current two million passengers. Secondly, with state-of-art infrastructure and contemporary design, it is also expected to become a new landmark for the region and boost its tourism and economic growth.

This project is a challenge insofar as the airport carries with it both great promise and great responsibility. Not only will it contribute to strengthening the Croatian economy by representing their new indoors to the world and further increasing their tourism, but it will also be their largest infrastructure project in the last ten years.

After three years of construction works, the new passenger terminal of the Zagreb Airport opened in the second half of March 2017. The construction was scheduled in two phases. First, a building of about 65,000m² that features four levels, with the first two being for arrivals and the last two for departures. The rectangular main body was extended into two asymmetric piers, with the west pier for international operations and the east pier for the domestic traffic.

The second phase of the realization was above this concrete structure with a steel construction that was meant to combine the roof to the main body and piers with the north facade. The south, east and west facades were conceived with flat aluminum curtains and structural glazing. If you look at the roof, it is partially glazed, and partially covered by a state-of-the-art aluminum shield.

Regarding the extraordinary undulating shape of the roof, it was designed by the architects as a reminder of the surrounding mountains.