Kutaisi Airport terminal will be extended due to influx in tourists

Georgia’s western Kutaisi International Airport will experience a "user-oriented" extension to cater to the rapidly growing number of passengers.

Dutch firm UNStudio, which completed the terminal building of Kutaisi Airport in 2013, will be responsible for the upcoming extension works and has already unveiled plans, featuring a rooftop plaza.

UNStudio’s goal for the large extension of the Kutaisi International Airport terminal is primarily to maintain a user-oriented experience where the health and comfort of every single passenger is serviced through the correct application of architecture and spatial design," said the firm.

Artist impression. Photo from dezeen.com. 

UNStudio worked with airport consultant IATA to define five distinct functional islands for the design: departure hall, security area, central passenger hall, back of house offices and arrival hall.

The existing airport terminal – distinguished by its umbrella-like web of wooden beams that extend down from the ceiling into a glass-lined external courtyard – will become the departure hall.

A new arrivals hall will be located at the other end of the new terminal, helping to maximise the area for underground luggage handling and customs services.

Like the existing terminal, the extension will be fronted by full-height glazing, creating a light-filled interior with views of the Caucasus Mountains.

The new central passenger hall will echo the departure hall's umbrella-like ceiling structure. A timber staircase will gradually bring passengers up to a higher level, where they will find food and beverage outlets.

This space will extend out onto the building's roof, creating a huge elevated plaza.

Artist impression. Photo from dezeen.com. 

Wrapped by stepped seating, this space will act as a green recreational hub and a waiting area for early arrivals, visitors and their families. It will split the length of the terminal and, like the distinctive red corner of the original terminal building, will create another moment of orientation.

Passengers using the low-cost-airline airport increased from 12,915 per year in 2012 to more than 300,000 in 2016. It is expected to reach a capacity of close to 1,000,000 passengers by 2020.

"Georgia is rapidly becoming one of the new tourist hotspots in the region and Kutaisi has become the access gate to the country," said the firm.