The Anemos consortium, led by Grimshaw with Haptic, K-Studio, Arup, Leslie Jones, Triagonal and Plan A, is appointed as the design team for the expansion of Athens International Airport. Delivered in phases within a live airport, the project will increase capacity from 26 million to 40 million passengers by 2032. Uniting the existing terminals with new extensions, the design creates a coherent gateway to Athens that reflects the city’s past, present and future.
Inspired by the layered character of Athens, the design brings together efficient operations, intuitive wayfinding and a distinct sense of place. At the Main Terminal Building, a new western façade of rhythmic stone fins forms a lifted internal colonnade. Six portals lead into an enlarged departures hall, where raised soffits draw daylight deep into the building and make the passenger journey clear and instinctive.
Two new oculi create unforgettable Athenian moments within the terminal. The North Oculus is a 24.5-metre-high circular garden, planted with Mediterranean species and shaped as a microcosm of Athenian life. To the south, a daylight-filled atrium brings together terraced seating, landscape and food and beverage spaces, with long views towards the departure gates.
The Satellite Terminal Building will become a dedicated extra-Schengen facility, with new atrium spaces improving circulation, orientation and access to natural light. Across both terminals, the design extends and transforms the airport while keeping existing facilities operational.
Sustainability is integral to the project. Passive design, low-carbon structures and materials, modular construction, and renewable energy, water and waste systems support the airport’s net zero and whole-life carbon commitments. The project is targeting LEED Gold certification.
By bringing old and new together through light, landscape and material, the expansion will create a more legible passenger journey and a distinctive airport for Athens.
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