The architectural competition for new buildings at Prague Airport was won by the MVRDV studio

The architectural competition for new buildings at Prague Airport has been won by the Dutch studio MVRDV in cooperation with NACO. The design expands Terminal 1 with a new building for central security control, new commercial areas and lounges. It will also add a building with a hotel, a conference centre and a car park. Prague Airport said in a press release today. The new buildings are part of the investment plan recently presented by the airport. It plans to invest CZK 32 billion in its development by 2033.

Prague Airport expects the new buildings to strengthen its operational flexibility. According to Jiří Kraus, vice-chairman of Prague Airport's board of directors, the competition attracted extraordinary interest from architects, including foreign ones. "The building of the centralised security control of Terminal 1, together with the partially developed solution for the expansion of Terminal 2, will become the cornerstone of a large mosaic of a strategically important project to complete the airport's terminal capacities," Kraus said.

Thanks to the expansion of the terminals, it will be possible to handle twice as many passengers per hour at peak times. Currently, the maximum throughput is 4,400 people per hour, after the expansion it should be 7,220, Prague Airport CEO Jiří Pos said recently when presenting the investment plan. A Central Security Checkpoint is to be created at Terminal 1, just as it is at Terminal 2. Currently, security checks at Terminal 1 are only at individual gates.

Winy Maas, co-founder of the MVRDV studio, said that most airport experiences today lack a connection to the place or a sense of belonging on the part of passengers. "This is about to change in Prague. As you pass through security, you will be surrounded by the greenery of the Czech landscape - on the ceiling that displays it, and in the surrounding spaces where plants typical of the Czech biotope are found. Such an experience will give you a sense of peace and belonging," he said.

The other teams awarded in the Prague Airport Architecture Competition are the Czech Studio Perspektiv in collaboration with Norwegian architects Nordic Office of Architecture and Aulík Fišer architects.

Prague Airport wants to increase its capacity to 21.2 million passengers a year by 2033 with an investment of CZK 32 billion. In addition to increasing the number of direct connections from Prague, the airport also wants to expand parking and commercial space. For example, from the current 6,500 parking spaces there should be 10,000 by 2030, the area of lounges should be multiplied back to 10,500 square metres or the area of restaurants should increase by 5,000 square metres to 16,000.

This year, the airport expects to handle 13.6 million passengers, which would be an increase of nearly three million from last year. The airport expects to return to pre-peak numbers in 2026. Next year, the airport is targeting 14.9 million passengers.

Source: MVRDV and CTK
Photo: MVRDV