A terminal with views of the Himalayas

A terminal with views of the Himalayas! 🔥🔥🔥 Recently, BIG architectural firm unveiled the design for Bhutan's Gelephu International Airport. The project, a collaboration between BIG and aviation engineering company NACO, will not only be Bhutan's second international airport but also a core part of the master plan for Gelephu "Mindfulness City". It is reported that Gelephu International Airport is scheduled to open in 2029. ☀️ Covering an area of 68,000 square meters, Gelephu International Airport will be able to handle 123 flights per day upon completion. It is projected to serve 1.3 million passengers annually by 2040 and 5.5 million passengers by 2065. ☀️ Grounded in Bhutanese culture, the airport integrates traditional Bhutanese crafts—including woodworking (Shing-Zo), carving (Par-Zo), painting (Lha-Zo), and traditional weaving techniques (Tshar-Zo)—with modern innovative technologies. ☀️ The airport features a modular wooden structural framework, using locally sourced materials, and is adorned with the traditional Bhutanese column pattern "Kachen"—hand-carved by local artists. Its intricate design echoes Bhutan's architectural traditions, while the diagonal rib design of the wooden framework mirrors the Himalayan mountain range in the background, making the airport look like a range of distinctive mountains from a distance. These wooden frames are lightweight, sturdy, and structurally independent, allowing for easy disassembly and reassembly to meet the airport's future expansion needs. ☀️ The airport's design aims to alleviate the stress of travel—three-story-high entrances, wide floor-to-ceiling windows, and skylights flood the airport with natural light; indoor and outdoor lounges provide tranquil spaces for yoga and meditation, allowing travelers to regroup and recharge; boarding gates on the upper level, adjacent to retail and dining areas, offer passengers stunning views of the Himalayas. ☀️ The airport's arrival plaza blends with the surrounding natural terrain, designed into four zones, each with seating, canopies, and specific plants from the Gelephu forest, with the ground paved with local natural stone. ☀️ The biodiversity corridor from the "Mindfulness City" master plan will extend into the airport's internal courtyard—the "Forest Spine", which divides the terminal into two parts: domestic flights on the west and international flights on the east. The courtyard includes green spaces, walkways, and native animals, with the "Forest Spine" visible from anywhere in the airport, providing travelers with a space to connect with nature. ❤️❤️❤️ #ArchitecturalDesign #DesignCaseSharing #ArchitecturalRenderings #SustainableArchitecturalDesign #NatureIntegratedArchitecture #Airport #Bhutan #ArtInFocus