Pulkovo Central Passenger Terminal

Soaring comfort

ROCKWOOL insulation keeps travellers safe and warm in St Petersburg’s spectacular new airport terminal

The designers of St Petersburg’s new airport terminal faced a tough challenge. How do you create a light, airy and dramatic structure that keeps passengers comfortable and safe in the harsh climate of northern Russia? The city experiences warm summers and cold, dark winters, and large structures such as airport terminals can be hard to heat, as well as having difficult acoustic conditions.

Yet by the third quarter of 2015, the year after the new terminal was completed, Pulkovo Airport ranked first in Europe for overall passenger satisfaction in an International Council of Airports survey. The architects had succeeded in creating a light-filled, spacious design that echoes the gilded domes of St Petersburg’s churches and the city’s Soviet-era geometry, while ensuring perfect interior conditions for passengers.

ROCKWOOL thermal and acoustic products helped the new terminal to achieve this. Around 40,000m2 of thermal insulation (an area the size of nearly six soccer pitches) was used in the roof, with 30,000m2 of acoustic insulation used in partitions within the terminal. The combination of ROCKWOOL insulation’s light weight, strength and fire safety made it the perfect choice for Pulkovo’s soaring roof structure, helping create an ideal interior climate while reducing the energy needed for heating and air conditioning. And our stone wool insulation, which withstands temperatures above 1,000°C, contributes to the terminal’s safety standards by helping prevent the spread of fire.

With help from ROCKWOOL insulation, air journeys to and from St Petersburg can start and finish in comfort and safety – and in spectacular surroundings.

Project Data