There’s a growing trend for designing greenery filled airports, providing passengers with a more pleasant traveling experience. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s new Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru follows other examples like the Jewel Changi and features a lush plant-filled interior made from natural materials like bamboo and stone. Impressively, it also receives all its power from renewable energy sources.

The airport terminal, which was created in collaboration with landscape architects Grant Associates along with designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, is located in Bengaluru (aka Bangalore), India. It measures 255,000 sq m (roughly 2.7 million sq ft), increasing the airport’s passenger capacity by 25 million per year.

Also referred to as Terminal in a Garden, the project is inspired by the city of Bengaluru’s reputation as a “garden city.” Its main block, which hosts check-in, immigration, security, retail, arrivals, and baggage claim areas, is separated from the gates by a so-called “forest belt,” which consists of a 90-m (295-ft)-wide multilevel area made up of a planted landscape of indigenous flora, meandering paths, and multi-story pavilions finished in bamboo.

Indeed, bamboo is used throughout the terminal to great effect, and the overall decor is very natural and inviting.

Ar. Ekansh Goel © Studio Recall

While the use of any airport is clearly not good for an environment, the Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru building itself is very energy efficient. It has received the LEED Platinum green building standard and, as mentioned, all of its power needs are met by renewable energy. According to Architectural Record this comes from a mixture of roof-based solar panels and off-site arrays.

“The terminal’s structural system and rectilinear form is designed to be efficient and sustainable, even allowing flexibility to accommodate changes over time, to support the continued growth of air travel in Bengaluru,” explained SOM. “T2 has been recognized as the largest terminal in the world to have been pre-certified as a LEED Platinum building by US Green Building Council, prior to commencing operations. The terminal has also received the Indian Green Building Council Platinum certification for its sustainable architecture and design. In addition to the visible extensive outdoor areas, the terminal implements numerous sophisticated sustainable innovations, enabling the terminal to run entirely on renewable energy. The abundant vegetation uses water that is harvested on site and the indoor waterfalls cool the interior environment.”

Ar. Ekansh Goel © Studio Recall

In addition to the measures mentioned, the terminal building’s design helps keep the interior a comfortable temperature with solar shading, while intelligent building management systems ensure that energy usage is tracked and minimized. The terminal opened to international travelers earlier this month.

Source: SOM