HEYDAR ALIYEV INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BAKU BY AUTOBAN

The latest exceptional architectural project to take root in Baku

The list of extraordinary architectural projects in Baku, Azerbaijan, keeps growing. From HOK’s Flame Towers to BIG’s proposed Zira Island and the recent Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center by Zaha Hadid Architects, interesting architecture is popping up left and right. Perhaps it’s no wonder since it is estimated that the Azerbaijani government is investing $6 billion in architecture annually. The very latest addition is the brand new interior of the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, located just outside of Baku.

Seyhan Özdemir and Sefer Caglar of the Istanbul-based design firm Autoban brought an element of intimacy to the immense interior by populating it with a series of neutral-toned cocoons clad in diamond-shaped oak veneer. The futuristic cocoons are placed above ground level, almost seeming to materialize among trees and open seating areas as a private respite from airport stress. The concept was initially inspired by the Turkish airlines CIP lounge and the idea that “everyone should feel like a VIP”.

To further reduce the vastness of the open space, the designers also varied the ceiling heights. Concave glass partitions line each level. They are completed by a belt of lighting that reflects the geometric pattern of the cocoons – a geometry that extends to the triangle forms on the ceiling, the shapes and colors of the tile floors and even in the airport’s hexagonal skylights. A human-centered design that is at once organic and warm, the airport gives new meaning to luxury travel.