Avant-garde airport design has really been picking over the past few years, spurred by some of the world’s best-looking airports including, of course, Changi in Singapore and Hamad International Airport in Doha. Chinese architecture studio MAD is hoping to join that tight circle with its design of Changchun Longjia International Airport’s new Terminal 3 in the country’s Jilin province, constructing a forward-thinking hub based on a floating feather.
And yes, a literal feather is serving as the visual reference for Terminal 3, which will measure 270,000 square metres and, once complete, will be the biggest air transport terminal in Jilin province with an expected 22 million passengers per year.
The form isn’t the only thing about Terminal 3 that will be feather-like. According to Dezeen, MAD wants the airport’s interiors to feel light, airy and calming with a “human-scaled” experience. To do this, MAD will carefully design the fan-shaped building with 54 aircraft gates fanning out from a central hub with three corridor-like structures connected to the established Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
RELATED: These Are The Best Airports In The World Right Now
Inside, natural light will be maximised with skylights across a feather-like roof, shining down on numerous internal gardens and water features to help mirror Changchun’s reputation as a “garden city.”
MAD, which was founded by Ma Yansong in Bejing in 2004, will work with China Airport Planning & Design Institute Co. and Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co to spring this ambitious airport design to life. Although no completion date has currently been set.
Check out more images of Terminal 3 at Changchun Longjia International Airport below, courtesy of MAD.
