Arlanda Airport Control Tower, Sweden



Architect
Wingardh Arkitektkontor AB
Date Built
completed 2001
Location
Arlanda Airport
Description
The control tower at Arlanda Airport was designed by the architectural practice of Wingardh Arkitektkontor AB and built between 1999 and 2001.  It stands 83 metres tall, the equivalent of 24 floors above ground.  The architect's website explains that, ".... The dual functions of the building are expressed in a bifurcated tower.  It handles two kinds of traffic control: one for take-offs and landings, the other for directing traffic on the ground. There is also a division here into technical and human activity. The duality is expressed in a dichotomy of colour and form, with the two lookout points perched like reconnoitering birds atop the coupled shaft. The stripes allude to the navigation marks of earlier times ...  The central position of the tower at Stockholm’s principal airport has made it a landmark for the whole area."



In 2002 the Arlanda Airport Control Tower was awarded 1st prize in the European Award for Excellence in Concrete.



The tower also provides another service to the public because it offers couples the opportunity to get married on the tower's balcony.  The airport's website explains, "... Can there be a more elevated experience than a wedding up in Stockholm Arlanda’s control tower? Marry your partner 74 metres up above the airport with a dizzying view. On a clear day, you’ll see Uppsala Cathedral on the horizon. A wedding in the control tower with Airport VIP Service will be an amazing, unforgettable day for the bridal couple – as close to heaven as you can get."