Amid the bustle of daily airport operations there was established a place of rest for around 22,000 passengers, visitors, and airport employees on the base level in the Köln/ Bonn Airport Terminal 2. On June 19th, 2013, the opening of an interdenominational prayer room took place. This room is conceived as a religious resting place for all nationalities and represents tolerance and understanding. It symbolizes the principle of religious freedom as a fundamental right of our constitution. Therefore the design concept deliberately avoided religious symbolism and instead refers to the elements of nature. The concept is supported by the utilized materials and design elements such as the forest motif on the wall, the floor-to-ceiling tree trunks, or the tree stumps serving as seats; a column in the center of the room shows the four cardinal directions. The main element of the prayer room is the room-in-room installation, designed in the form of an ellipse. It provides the visitors protection from direct insights. Outwardly the prayer room represents itself with printed glass panels bearing the names of all of the world religions.
Photography: © Tim Botzkowski
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