The Oslo-based architecture firm Nordic Office of Architecture has won an international competition to design what’s expected to become the world’s largest airport, in Istanbul. Gudmund Stokke, partner and manager of the firm, called it “a bit of a dream to land in this position.”
The firm, formerly known as Narud Stokke Wiig Architects and Planners, joined with the British Grimshaw firm to beat out eight other contenders for the job. Nordic Office specializes in designing modern airports and was behind Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen and its current expansion project, the Rajiv Gandhi Airport in Hyderabad, India, the Hanimaadhoo Airport in the Maldives and several in the Arctic areas of Norway.
The new airport in Istanbul will be designed to accommodate 90 million passengers a year, and 150 million within 10 years. Its first phase is due to open in 2019.
The project will also be the largest in Turkish history, opening with three runways and a terminal covering a million square meters. It aims to become a major hub, with Nordic Office in charge of the master plan and design. Stokke wouldn’t reveal the value of the contract.
newsinenglish.no staff
