Milano Linate Airport awarded in the first edition of THE PLAN Award – Real Estate Special Contest with & Milano Linate Airport – Functional reconfiguration and architectural renovation and project by SEA Milan Airports was particularly appreciated for the clarity and quality of its presentation and contents, earning the title of Overall Winner.
The revamping of the Linate terminal has involved architectural and functional refurbishment, with a substantial change of the passenger flows and of a considerable part of the existing terminal across 5,400m2, together with the construction of a new three-storey building featuring a new shopping gallery and food court at a total investment of 40 million euros.
Linate Airport, dating back to 1950, has seen a varying array of architectural choices over the year, in 2018 building façade was renewed and the ‘Architectural Restyling and Ambience’ project began, aiming to completely refurbish the terminal interior in order to improve customer satisfaction.
Ambience
The first impact is clear upon entering the departure area: the check-in area has been re-styled, proposing a new identity that characterises the spaces, atmosphere and the materials of the new terminal. The terminal’s ‘new image’ has been designed with great consideration, incorporating both the principles of formal and material quality and environmental sustainability. The perceptions and movements of both passengers and airport operators have been analysed according to the most innovative neuroscience methodologies in order to create the proper visual and acoustic comfort. A new vertical pathway has been built for passengers coming from the new Linate M4 underground station to the check-in area.
Features
Green canopies and dropped ceilings. The project includes the refurbishment of the double-height space with a system of roof gardens, with plants and shrubs overlooking the first floor, creating a green, spacious atmosphere. The dropped ceilings have been upgraded, substituting the existing ones with wooden-like slats alternating with plasterboard sails, drawing attention to the surrounding space and giving uniformity and cleanliness to the design. An integrated lighting system will emphasise the curved lines of the sails and the LED profiles alternating with the slats.
Check‐in desks
The desks have been re-styled according to the SEA brand, with a design characterised by soft edges and functionally, bridging the relationship between operator and customer thanks to the front support shelf with brass coating, treated with acid‑etching processes. An accent lighting system with an overlooking band, in line with the design of the counters, completes the ambience.
A new security area
In October 2020, the new security area was inaugurated. It was designed for passengers’ needs thanks to technologies and architectural elements that grant a highly innovative travel experience, once again applying neuroscience to architectural design. In fact, particular attention was given to the colours and materials used for the walls, floors and dropped ceilings. Lights and spaces have been optimised to reduce passenger anxiety, which is usually elevated when passing through security checks.
A new shooping area, food court and gate area
A new three-storey building with a total surface of approximately 10,000m2, with a significant change in passenger flows, the widening of boarding areas, a new shopping gallery and a new food court thanks to a double-height space with an overhanging ‘sail’.
To amplify the sense of place in tune with Milan, the avant-garde and as a symbol of Italian design to the world, historical works by renowned Italian designers have been placed along the passenger journey thanks to an important partnership with the Milan Triennale Design Museum. From the security area via the walk-through duty‑free, passengers reach a wide central double‑height plaza and a shopping gallery characterised by a curvilinear development with 23 (versus the existing 13) shops, newly renovated and featuring Italian luxury brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Emporio Armani, Ermenegildo Zegna and so on.
From the central plaza, a double vertical path takes passengers to the food court on the second floor and, after the shopping gallery, leads to the ground floor to the bus boarding gates and boarding bridge gates.
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
