Kempegowda Terminal 2 honoured at WAF 2024
Grant Associates was honoured to be named a category finalist at the highly prestigious 2024 World Architecture Festival (WAF) for the pioneering landscape architecture approach taken towards Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India.
Only ten projects were chosen internationally to complete of the ‘Inside: Public Buildings’ category at WAF 2024. The pioneering approach taken by Grant Associates and architectural partners Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to reinvent the bustling and chaotic airport experience with a calm and tranquil alternative set Terminal 2 apart as one of the top public building designs internationally at the annual festival.
Terminal 2’s innovative design offers passengers an immersive and authentic nature focused experience, with biodiversity placed at the heart of the passenger’s travels through the terminal.
A strong biophilic design focus can be found in abundance throughout the vast terminal, creating a truly special environment that captures the spirit of the place, offers a unique garden journey, and points positively towards the passenger experience of the future. The sense of being in a garden is heightened by the repeated, purposeful use of water throughout to create a strong landscape identity alongside the planting.
Andrew Haines, senior associate at Grant Associates, has served as the project lead since early talks first began in 2016. Andrew, who represented the practice at WAF, comments:
“What a fantastic few days it was at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore. It was a real honour and privilege to present our work on Terminal 2, and an opportunity to see an amazing collection of projects and witness how they were presented and live-judged. Collaboration has been essential to the success of the project since the outset: the client, design team, vendors and contractors have all worked in partnership together to make this ambitious vision a reality. BIAL, as our client, has worked tirelessly to continue to maintain and develop on the ‘Terminal in a Garden’ legacy.
The WAF critical sessions were fascinating, the talks were inspiring and it was a unique format and experience. Well done to all the finalists and those that won and were highly commended."
"It’s been a long while since I was last in Singapore and it has changed and evolved beyond belief. It is astonishing to see the strides made in urban greening. The Singapore Green Plan 2030 continues to build on its success and addressing key drivers; City Nature, Sustainable Living, Energy Reset, Green Economy, and creating a Resilient Future. This was perfectly captured in Professor Cheong Koon Hean’s talk, Urban Horizons: The Next Chapter.”
A key element that currently sets Terminal 2 apart is its integrated sustainable water management system of rain water harvesting ponds and swales. This helps mitigate Bengaluru’s changing climate and burdening water demands as well as creates a resilient and biodiverse landscape.
The external gardens and forest belt create their own unique microclimate with temperatures two to three degrees lower than its surroundings. The gardens and forest cover assist in cleaning the air, while solar panels and daylight harvesting are estimated to help the terminal achieve around 25% energy savings. Over 7,700 existing trees and palms have been saved and re-used as part of Terminal 2, with the plants selected for use around Terminal 2 being predominantly native, responsive, and resilient to a changing climate.
