Nobody enjoys being stuck in an airport due to a delayed flight, though travelers to the Terminal 4 Bao'an International Airport will at least be able to do their waiting in an indoor garden the size of 40 tennis courts. Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP), the terminal is slated for Shenzhen, China.
The design for Terminal 4 Bao'an International Airport recently won an architecture competition and is being created in collaboration with the China Northeast Architectural Design & Research Institute Co. Ltd, Shenzhen, Railway 2, and AECOM.
The building will measure 400,000 sq m (roughly 4.3 million sq ft), which is just over half the size of the world's largest terminal, Zaha Hadid's Beijing Daxing International Airport. It will be defined by an undulating roof and serve up to 31 million passengers a year. The greenery inside won't be as extensive as the Jewel Changi Airport, for example, but will include a series of landscaped pathways and significant greenery.
"The design concept has at its heart a 10,000 sq m [107,000 sq ft] central garden space, the size of 40 tennis courts," says Andrew Tyley, Partner, RSHP. "The garden acts as the front door to Shenzhen connecting and integrating ground and air travel. The terminal will be at the center of a new 'airport city' and will be a landmark portal through which thousands of people pass every day. The design provides Shenzhen with a state-of-the-art terminal with a particular focus on passenger experience, wellbeing, and sustainability. Reflecting this forward-facing dynamic city and region, it will become part of the lexicon of next generation airports."
There is some sustainable design planned for the terminal too. According to RSHP, the building's overall form will maximize natural light while still controlling solar gain. It will include natural ventilation, rainwater harvesting, and will be prefabricated off-site.
We've no word yet on when the project is due to be completed, nor any renders available of the garden unfortunately, but expect to learn more as the project progresses.
Source: RSHP