New intermodal hubs, hotels, and park at Brussels airport

The Brussels airport will strengthen its leadership as a hub and connection point in Europe thanks to the planned construction from 2026 of new cutting-edge facilities: an intermodal hub, a hotel, and a park with tree-lined avenue that, shaped on travelers' experience, will be delivered by 2032

Providing passengers with an extraordinary experience

Benthem Crouwel Architects, together with Witteveen+Bos, OKRA, and Stramien CV, form the team that wins the European tender for the design of the new infrastructure desired by the Brussels Airport Company (BAC). Selected from over 40 international teams, this consortium is responsible for the architectural, engineering, and landscaping design for the expansion of Brussels Airport, with a focus on providing passengers with an extraordinary experience

A lively, intuitive, and safe public space

The existing terminal, with its 65/85,000 passengers per day, is reaching its maximum capacity. In high-quality architectural projects, the substantial difference lies in sewing the space around people's experience: in the case of collective architectures like an airport, this characteristic determines the difference between building a non-place and enriching the city and people with a meaningful space. With this project, Brussels Airport offers a lively, intuitive, and safe public space that "feels urban"

The new intermodal hub

The new intermodal hub will have vertical access from a public central core. From here, light will also penetrate deeply to illuminate and reveal the various layers of the hub. All modes of transportation to and from the airport will be vertically stacked below the public atrium for the promotion of smart and sustainable travel: train station, bus terminal, taxis, bicycles, trams. In the expansion of the existing terminal, a new large departure lounge will welcome travelers with its completely glass facade and green roof

The hotel and the green project

A new 4-star hotel will offer its 300 rooms to passengers along with its dining and relaxation spaces, adding to the existing Sheraton. To harmonize the spaces and provide a comfortable experience for travelers, the main tool used by the designers is nature: the tree-lined avenue and the park will lead to the intermodal hub, welcoming people in a peaceful atmosphere. The outdoor areas will also be enriched with many green spaces featuring native plant species, contributing to biodiversity and reducing the urban heat island effect. Additionally, the new buildings will aim to achieve sustainability certifications such as BREEAM (Outstanding), WELL (Platinum), and DGNB (Gold)

Gallery

Photo credits
Top image, content and gallery images: Brussels Airport Company

Designers credits
Consortium consisting of: Benthem Crouwel Architects, Witteveen+Bos, OKRA, Stramien CV
Witteveen+Bos (Belgium and the Netherlands) is responsible for project management and contributes technical knowledge in the areas of structural engineering, geotechnics, building services, energy, building physics, fire safety and permitting.
Benthem Crouwel Architects serves as lead architect, supported by Stramien CV, which adapts the design to Belgian laws and regulations using its local expertise.
OKRA is responsible for the design and technical development of the landscape elements and the stormwater buffering strategy.

PEOPLE

Benthem Crouwel Architects

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