Jerman Cheung
East Asia Press Office,Hong Kong
A joint venture with British architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Arup and Taiwan engineering firm CECI and architect FCA has been appointed by the Taoyuan International Airport Corporation for the design and construction of the new Terminal 3.
The appointment follows an international design competition which shortlisted three impressive architectural firms including UN Studio and Foster + Partners Limited.
The project is the largest single investment following Taiwan’s 10 Major Construction Projects and a flagship among the 12 iTaiwan Construction Projects, comprising the new Terminal 3 building, boarding gates, concourses, a multi-function building, a network of service roads, aprons, taxiways and an automatic people mover system.
In a joint effort with our offices in Hong Kong, Taipei and London, we will provide a full range of services including airport planning, structural engineering, building services, façade design, building sustainability, fire engineering, aviation fuel, lighting and acoustics.
Our design is inspired by Taiwan’s beautiful landscape and surrounding sea and its natural rhythm and life which combine to create a series of unique interior spaces designed for their individual purposes all protected beneath an elegant hard shell roof. The freedom of planning within the building is analogous to the earth on which it sits. The ceiling, a soft malleable surface, is of the sky with clouds that roll around and over a landscape of internal building functions, shaping the spaces over which it passes. This terminal will be of the highest quality and uniquely identifiable as the gateway to Taiwan which will make it a joy for passengers to use, and a world-class hub in East Asia.
Our proposal inverts the traditional arrangement of departures over arrivals. It sets the ceiling free from the roof above which gives a spatial experience and level of service unequalled in airport terminal design anywhere in the world. The main roof structure is supported by a series of four-legged towers, called ‘banyan columns’ along the spine of the building with alternating regular 36m and 72m spans in the west-east direction.
Upon completion in 2020, the new terminal will be able to host 45 million passengers a year.