Lithuanian Airports today announced that Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been selected as the winner of the international architectural competition to design the new arrivals terminal at Vilnius Airport. The project represents a significant milestone in the airport’s long-term strategic plan to accommodate predicted growth in passenger demand and strengthen Lithuania’s position as a leading gateway in the Baltic region.
Project Name: Vilnius Airport Arrivals Terminal
Studio Name: Zaha Hadid Architects
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
“The arrivals terminal of Vilnius Airport requires updating – it has long since ceased to meet today’s needs or the airport’s future capacity and vision. As the gateway to Lithuania, the terminal creates the first impression for everyone arriving into the country. The very high quality of ideas in the design competition proposed the most modern, convenient solutions that can adapt to the airport’s future requirements,” said Eugenijus Sabutis, Lithuania’s Minister of Transport and Communications.
Currently operating at capacity, Lithuanian Airports are developing the new arrivals terminal at Vilnius Airport as a strategically important project for the country’s aviation and economic growth. Supporting the recent completion of the airport’s departure terminal, the new arrivals terminal will enable the airport to serve up to 10.6 million passengers annually, meeting continued growth in demand for air travel.
ZHA’s design draws from Lithuanian cultural heritage, incorporating traditional motifs and art forms within a contemporary architectural language. The terminal’s modular geometry
originates from the rhombus, a triangular shape that holds significant meaning in Baltic
folklore.
The composition and scale of the new arrivals terminal has been defined by the airport’s
existing facilities; positioning the historic Terminal 1 at the centre of a unified ensemble
flanked by the contemporary departure and arrivals terminals.
Aligning with the Vilnius Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, the new arrivals terminal prioritises seamless passenger connectivity with the airport’s existing facilities. The terminal’s design is integrated with the airport’s ongoing development of its masterplan that will create an important multi-modal transport hub for the city at its central Airport Plaza. With a planned Rail Baltica high-speed rail station as well as regional and local passenger rail services, Airport Plaza will also be served by local and intercity bus networks, taxi services, as well as cycling and pedestrian routes.
The terminal’s interiors reference Lithuanian sodai straw gardens, a traditional art form
recognized by UNESCO as part of the nation’s cultural heritage. Intricately crafted from stalks of grain, sodai are hanging ornaments with triangular geometric structures
associated throughout the region with well-being and celebration.
