Enter Projects Asia has designed, delivered, and constructed the interiors of the 12,000sqm post-security departures area of Bengaluru International Airport. The space which contains retail, hospitality and relaxation areas was designed using natural, biodegradable rattan and features hand-wrought techniques at a previously unimagined scale.
Having studied the super airports of the last few decades, Design Director Keane, challenged himself to conceive a next-generation design as an antithesis to the often beautiful, yet utilitarian, corporate, and ultimately hard spaces that prioritize unsustainable panel materials. By taking plant-based materials like reeds and rattan out of context, away from the boutique
wellness retreats of Southeast Asia, for use in such an overtly urban and commercial environment, and at such a scale, Keane wished to make a bold statement regarding the possibility and necessity of tactility, sustainability, and biophilic design for the future.
EPA developed its signature design language and harnessed its unique handmade approach to
create a series of curvaceous, sculptural rattan pods at an exponentially larger scale than previously
imagined. The largest of the pods stands at nearly 8m high and the project overall used over 9km of
rattan in replacement of mineral materials such as concrete and steel. The design itself incorporates
5 colossal pod structures along with vast column claddings all fabricated in rattan. Each section of the vast design was handwoven at EPA’s Bangkok factory in line with the practice’s bespoke logistics software for the most efficient, economical, and sustainable shipping solutions. This merging of novel high-tech software and handmade craft, along with the prioritizing of natural materials defines the practice’s award-winning approach to innovation and sustainability
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