ADEM JASHARI NEW TERMINAL BUILDING

Tekeli-Sisa Architects’ design for the Adem Jashari terminal building in Pristina Airport in Kosovo has dynamic spatial configurations under its undulated roof.

The tender for renovation of Pristina Airport located at the capital of Kosovo Republic was awarded to Limak – Aeroport de Lyon JV with a concession period of 20 years. Following the agreement, a limited architectural design competition was held, and Tekeli-Sisa Architects’ design was selected and built. The construction started beginning of 2011 and the terminal building with an area of 43.000 m2 was completed on October 26th, 2013. The new terminal has a capacity of 25 million passengers per year with an expansion capacity of up to 4 million.

During the design phase, due to the rapidly changing requirements of air travel, aviation technologies, the main aim was to create a functional and flexible building in a compact and economical shell. The building would symbolize the young republic’s development with a unique form. As a result, the compact roof design and the general forms of the building create a distinctive identity. The curved roof rising towards the apron starting from the landside responds to the interior spaces’ distribution and height requirements and also creates a dynamism unique to its function. The volumetric column headings with internal cavities located on the junction of the roof canopy and inclined columns reflect the unique architectural qualities of the building. These column headings create a dramatic effect with the help of lighting fixtures located within their cavities.

The building structure is designed based on a 12x12 m axial grid where the first two floors are constructed by reinforced concrete whereas the columns on the upper floor are transformed into steel that carries the sloped roof. The main steel trusses that make up the roof construction, continue seamlessly from the landside roof edge to airside roof edge forming the curvature of the roof.

In the terminal, there are 26 check-in desks in two rows. On the airside, there are three passenger boarding bridges. The middle boarding bridge has been designed with the MARS (Multiple Aircraft Ramp Stand) that serve one large and two mid-sized aircrafts simultaneously. The other two boarding bridges are also designed with the flexibility to be transformed into MARS system if the capacity of the airport increases in the future. The open car park has a capacity for 750 cars with an expansion option in the future.

Photography: © Cemal Emden

Project name: Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari
Project location: Pristina – Kosovo Republic
Architectural design: Tekeli- Sisa Architects (Doğan Tekeli, Dilgün Saklar, Mehmet Çakırkaya)
Project architect: Dilgün Saklar (Lead)
Architectural design team: Aydın Bilgi, Begüm Ülker, Ceren Erman, Ceylan Cöbek, Elvan Onar Tağa, Hüsne Cavlak, Melis Kanadıkırık Savaş, Melis Kocamanoğlu, Neslihan Can, Nomi Elhadef Levent, Öznur Emin Ceylan, Selcen Çelik
Client: Republic of Kosovo
Constructor: Limak-Kosova
Interior design: Tekeli- Sisa Architects
Structural design: Prota Mühendislik
Mechanical design: Dinamik Proje
Electrical design: Enmar Mühendislik
Signage design: Yönsis
Date of the architectural design competition: 2010
Construction dates: 11.04.2011- 09.11.2013
Construction area: 42.475 m²
Project cost: 140.000.000 €
Product: Şişecam Tentesol Blue, Şişecam Laminated Low-E Glass