Changi Airport’s new passenger Terminal 3 is a seven-storey building, The interior architecture encompassed the four above ground levels, Level 1 Arrivals, Level 2 Departures, Level 3 Landside Retail Mezzanine and Level 4 Viewing Platform.
The impressive interior architecture of terminal 3 is characterised by a Singaporean ‘sense of place’. The 380,000m2 Terminal 3 and its associated works add a capacity of 22 million passengers a year, bringing the total capability of ChangiAirport to 70 million passengers. Terminal 3 provides 28 additional aerobridge gates, eight designed to service new large aircraft, the Airbus 380.
The interior architecture of the terminal applies design principles of ‘social and sensory’ elements to create a memorable airport experience, Singaporean ‘sense of place’, and reinforces its user friendliness and amenity. This design philosophy compliments the 21st century airport model that reflects the airport’s economic importance along with a civic focus for the city and region.
Four guiding design principles were implemented to carry through the design concept;
· Clarity: The passenger journey through Terminal 3 is simple and natural. Minimal signage required due to easy orientation via textures, materials, and subtle architectural cues.
· Natural light: The design for the interior architecture has maximised the application of the natural light available through the innovative skylight roof structure design buy the building architect.
· External Views: Passengers have extensive visual access to the external landscape, including the take-off and landing of aircraft, contributing to the terminal’s ‘total journey experience’ and overall sense of openness.
· Maintainability: Terminal 3 is designed for ease of maintenance, from materials finishes to furniture selection.
The Terminal’s planning encourages intuitive spatial navigation, promoting ease of orientation and way-finding. The design implements the concept of ‘total journey experience’, an approach that focuses on the needs and experiences of the passenger at every stage of their travel process, from drop-off to departure, arrival to pick-up. This supports a human scale connection within the large civic building and integrates functional planning with passenger amenities.
Terminal 3 provides more than 25,000m2 of space with100+ retail stores, 30+ food & beverage and 20+ service concessions. A compact single shopping street layout enhances the visibility of the retail outlets.