The striking design of Pulkovo Airport’s new terminal reflects St Petersburg’s unique culture and environment, creating a landmark gateway to the city

The award-winning terminal at Pulkovo International airport is the result of a collaborative relationship between Pascall+Watson, Grimshaw Architects and Ramboll.

Located close to the arctic circle, the extremes of the Russian winter posed some particularly interesting challenges for the design team. The expressive roof is designed to evenly distribute snow loads and is pierced by steep, inverted prisms that project above the roof datum and assist in the disposing of meltwater. The prisms are the airport’s identifying feature, adding rhythm, form, texture and pattern to both the external and internal spaces, drawing daylight into the building via their vast, roof lights.

The internal environment responds to the heritage of St Petersburg, with its interconnecting zones, grand thoroughfares and squares reflecting the segmented layout of the city.

Our expertise in airport planning was fundamental to achieving a terminal building with a plan footprint some 27% less in floor area when compared to facilities with a similar passenger throughput. Not only did this provide a super-efficient layout but it realised huge cost savings for the client.