US studio Rafael Viñoly Architects has unveiled its plans for an international terminal at Florence Airport in Italy that will be crowned by a 7.7-hectare vineyard.
The airport terminal will encompass 50,000 square metres and is expected to be used by more than 5.9 million passengers annually.
Few details about the design have been released, but the terminal’s main feature will be a vast sloping roof, which will be lined with skylights and 38 rows of usable vineyards.
According to Rafael Viñoly Architects, this is a nod to Florence’s reputation as “the heart of Italy’s renowned wine country”, Tuscany.
“Unique to the new terminal will be a 19-acre (7.7 hectares) vineyard that gently slopes upward to embrace the sky-lit airport terminal,” said the studio.
“A leading vintner from the region will cultivate the vineyards, and the wine will be crafted and aged in specialized cellars beneath the terminal’s roof.”
Inside, the terminal will feature a large piazza-like space at its centre, which will be flanked by the arrivals and departures areas on opposite sides.
This central space will be linked to transport, parking and retail spaces open to both passengers and local people, and is hoped to streamline circulation for the terminal.
Other key elements of the proposal include the reorientation of Florence Airport’s, formerly Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci, existing runway by 90 degrees. This move will turn the runway away from the surrounding hills and lengthen it to better suit modern aircraft.
The plans will also improve the airport’s links to the city and wider region through “multi-modal transport options including a new light rail system”, the studio said.
Rafael Viñoly Architects was founded in 1983 by the late architect Rafael Viñoly. Its construction of the airport terminal will be carried out in two phases, with the first slated for completion in 2026 and the second in 2035.
The studio’s other recent projects include the supertall skyscraper 432 Park Avenue in New York and its proposal for National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington.
Other recent terminal designs featured on Dezeen include one for Techo International Airport by Foster + Partners that will have a “tree-canopy” roof, and a feather-like structure for Changchun airport in China by MAD.