Next generation airport terminals on the up
With better links to transportation networks, high-quality environments and innovative uses, new airport terminal design is improving the passenger experience and creating economic uplift, writes Mark Molen, aviation architecture specialist.
Since the glamor days of air travel are long past, passengers today have learned to lower their expectations.
However, new airport trends in terminal design are upending this experience, easing the journey from beginning to end. New airport terminals are light-filled gateways with shops, restaurants and public spaces that help spur interest and economic development in their host cities.
As an airport owner, getting future-ready requires a good hard look at successful airport trends. Here are six that are improving the passenger experience while helping airports – and their host cities – expand their economies.
1. Easing journeys to and from airport terminals:
Integrating airport terminals into regional and local transportation networks reduces stress, improves passengers’ travel experience from the start and provides airports with a competitive edge. For example, at Baiyun International Airport’s Terminal 1, in Guangzhou, China, incorporates a subway station within the building and a ground transportation center for the efficient management of buses, taxis and private vehicles as well as a high-speed rail station.
At Miami International, U.S., the airport terminal’s intermodal transportation hub provides travelers with a transit-oriented approach to reaching the airport. The hub houses a local and intercity bus terminal and South Florida Regional Transportation Authority and Amtrak rail services. The adjacent Central Station unites county transit lines. All of this combined eases travelers’ mobility while reducing surrounding roadway traffic. Improving access and connections acts as a stimulus, potentially generating billions of dollars for city and regional economies, enabling growth for the surrounding regional economy that in turn, benefits the airport and promotes its expansion.
2. Celebrating the arrival:
Most airports celebrate departures with tall ceilings and well-served dramatic spaces. Arrival spaces can be just the opposite and often feel second rate. Travelers typically enter through the airport’s lower level – the equivalent of arriving through a basement door.
New airport terminals are changing that experience, celebrating arrivals with light-filled spaces designed to make a positive impression. At Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport’s Terminal 1, passengers arriving at the 43-gate, 3.2-million-square-foot, three-runway airport are greeted with an impressive space that speaks to the vibrancy and economic might of China’s third largest city. Skylights now open up the two-story space – a great leap forward from the original 72-year-old single-runway airport that was reminiscent of a bus terminal.
The facility today handles over 60 million passengers, up from four million at the original airport terminal. The success has sparked the development of a second terminal also designed by AECOM. Opening in late 2017, Terminal 2 will enable the airport to service between 90 million – 120 million passengers annually.
3. Gateway to your city:
Airport terminals offer unique opportunities to showcase the sights, foods and cultural attractions that make a city and surrounding regions special. New terminals can put forth an inviting sense of place and provide a glimpse of their host city’s unique culture and history encouraging even those who are just stopping over between flights to take a second look. Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport, U.S., includes an observation space and bar which also serves as an aviation museum showcasing local aviation products from aircraft to rockets. These exhibits highlight Baltimore’s engineering skills, neighborhoods and communities, encouraging passengers to explore the city’s offerings.
4. Eat, shop, play and stay:
With air travel on the rise, passengers are seeking more of the amenities that make their time in the terminal comfortable and enjoyable. In China, Baiyun International Airport’s new Terminal 2 will incorporate a light-filled structure with a relaxing atmosphere that encourages travelers to shop and explore. The new designs for the public spaces are varied and tailored to different users, they include children’s play areas, theaters, a hotel and quiet rooftop garden areas. Sometimes staying in and around the airport can ease travel plans. The adjoining hotel and convention center accommodates business and convention visitors without the need to even leave the airport.
5. Lighting the way:
Natural lighting not only brightens airport terminals and helps passengers relax, it can help reduce stress by making it easier to find and reach the departure gates. New terminals are designed to take healthy advantage of natural light, benefiting passengers and workers alike. Diffuse daylighting in BWI’s Terminal AB and Guangzhou’s Terminal 1 allows the facilities to operate during daylight hours without artificial lighting.
6. Value for the community and for passengers:
As globalization and technology close the distance gap, airports are reaping the benefits of this closer contact. Many airports are becoming event venues in themselves, offering designated conference spaces within their terminals that enable the quick promotion and production of events. Many international companies rent space within the air terminal, attendees fly in and out often within 24 hours. These unique events draw local residents as well as travellers – and are an economic win for businesses, the airport, the gateway city and the surrounding region.
The golden days of air travel may well be behind us, but today’s new terminals are restoring some of the old glamor – and some new fun, to air travel and are demonstrating that investment in the next generation of terminals is reaping rewards for passengers and owners alike.