Architecture of the In-Between
2025 // Brick Academy // ALA Architects

The expansion of Helsinki Airport adds 43,000 square meters of new terminal space to one of Finland’s major transportation hubs. The project is organized around two distinct volumes: a large, fluid wooden hall dedicated to departures and arrivals, and a deep, blue-hued security and baggage handling area that enhances the clarity of the wayfinding. Nature makes its way into the heart of the terminal through the Luoto diorama—a landscaped installation visible from multiple levels. Certified BREEAM Excellent, the expansion brings airport functions under one roof, offering a sustainable, efficient, and welcoming gateway for millions of passengers.

The architecture unfolds like a terminal situated at the edge of two worlds—an interface between the city and the sky, between grounding and flight. A vast transitional space, light in both its lines and its intent. The project organizes flows without freezing them, framing them without constraining them. The volumes emerge from a stable base, then open up and stretch upward, as if drawn toward the sky.

The series of images focuses on this permanent link between the ground and the sky. Each frame captures a sense of movement: the arrival of taxis, the walk of pedestrians, the choreography of departures. Everything converges, crosses, connects—moments suspended in a space designed to welcome without holding back, bathed in light and anticipation.