HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

When they were asked to develop the interiors of the passenger facilities at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, which was inaugurated in 2014, Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel first needed to get a feel for the sheer size of the complex. Their task was to design the Qatar Airways Premium Lounge, a 50,000-square-metre area. The request was for an elevated level of sophistication in style, details and materials applied to the design of lounges, check-in areas, and Activity Nodes with diverse amenities from restaurants to children’s play areas. In order to define the space meticulously over such a large surface area, an eclectic team of experts was assembled: lighting specialists, landscape architects, structural-, acoustical-, transportation- and facade engineers, graphic designers and water feature specialists.

The guiding thread through the different spatial sequences is given by the porcelain stoneware flooring, expressly developed by Cotto d’Este. To meet the airport’s complex aesthetic and functional requirements, the company engineered a custom- made product in the large format of 60 x 120 centimetres with rectified edges and a thickness of 14 millimetres. It meets to the strictest performance standards for public-use floors with high-intensity pedestrian traffic. The special surface of the tiles has a natural finish that receives a subtle chromatic and vibrational shimmer from the stone, metal, water and wood used for the different furnishing elements of the interior.