The design for a passenger terminal for Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) presents an answer to the tempestuous developments in air travel. Large groups of travellers are now able to afford to fly between European airports. Speed and back to basics are the key words of this winning formula.

HHN lies about 100 kilometres west of Frankfurt. Here Ryanair wants to build the largest Low Cost Carrier airport on the European mainland. The airport is situated on a ridge of hills in the Hunsrück. The airside with the runways and platform lies 40 metres up from the motorway and railway on the landside. This unusual situation prompted me to develop a new terminal concept in which the airside is slid over the landside. This in contrast with the current masterplan, which seeks to eliminate the elevation drop with a gargantuan levelling-up operation.

Seen from the motorway, it is the aircraft that draw attention to the terminal building. It seems as though their weight is taken up entirely by the building, but in reality the centre of gravity is just beyond it. The building is merely an incision in the landscape, an architectural catwalk for the aircraft to present themselves on.

The terminal building is assembled from modules. Each such module consists of a terminal with ground support facilities able to simultaneously serve two Type C aircraft, a category that includes the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320 used by the low-cost airline. I have opted for multifunctional models in the interests of flexibility. Hitching together two such modules provides a parking stand for larger aircraft.

The number of passengers per peak hour per module is practically the same in both cases. This sophisticated concept means short walking distances, an efficient baggage handling system and a reduced surface area in the terminal of 9 m2 per passenger. By way of comparison, at Schiphol it's 30 m2 per passenger and at Kuala Lumpur International Airport as much as 60 m2.

Incisions made in the building coincide with the zones between the aircraft stands. These 'light courts' contain the vertical circulation. The routeing in the terminal accommodates itself naturally to the business of flying. For departures passengers take the lifts up towards the light pouring in through the light courts. They then walk across the platform on the fourth floor to the aircraft which can be boarded from either of the two entrances. This pumps up the experience of flying to a maximum and limits turnaround time to 15 minutes.

More about this project: www.hhn-airport.com (only in Dutch).

Place of education: TU Eindhoven
Specialization: architecture
Tutors: Donald van Dansik, Frans van Herwijnen, Hans van den Ancker