PES-Architects is behind the ongoing Helsinki Airport development programme. The company is responsible for planning the enlargement of the non-Schengen Terminal. The same company has designed the 1996 and 1999 expansions of Helsinki Airport as well.
Tuomas Silvennoinen, chief architect of the terminal expansion, says on Finavia’s website that like all important buildings, the terminal has a soul. The soul is created from the structures and materials, and human activity and appreciation towards the building.
“Basically, the terminal is a machine. A rational device with a task and purpose. However, an atmosphere of leaving and returning is related to airports. It consists of powerful feelings that only occur at airports: waiting for the trip, memories, joy and tiredness, early departures and late returns. This could be called poetic rationalism, for example”, tells Silvennoinen.
According to Silvennoinen, the basic mission of architecture is to implement public facilities that are of a high quality, sustainable and safe. Regarding airports, all design is also always based on making travelling as fluid and efficient as possible.
Finland and China come together in the exhibition, which celebrates PES-Architects’ 50th anniversary. The exhibition Helsinki–Shanghai opens on the 7th of March in the Museum of Finnish Architecture. The exhibition has been planned and produced by PES-Architects and it’s realized in cooperation with the Museum of Finnish Architecture. Finavia supports the implementation of the exhibition.
The goal of Finavia's development programme of EUR 900 million is to improve the service quality of Helsinki Airport and to strengthen its competitive position in air traffic between Europe and Asia. The airport expansion will make it possible to serve 30 million passengers annually.
