Details
Airports today are not only highly frequented transportation hubs, but they also serve as important places for work, commerce, and recreation.

Airport design involves a lot of technical complexity and functional design that often takes precedence over local and cultural context. For example, if we pick up any airport in isolation, one cannot judge its location based on its design. If Airports are the first place we see as we enter a new city/country, how can it provide a true window to what the city offers?

Additionally, how can we design alternatives to traditional airports that provide them with more than their functional need?

Challenge

Propose a concept for the Airport Design of Koh Phangan island in Thailand. Participants need not give the technical details for it. This is primarily a concept-design challenge only.

Objectives

• Innovative: proposed ideas should be innovative and can challenge the way airports are designed traditionally.
• Futuristic: the proposed concept should designed keeping in mind the future needs of up to 50 years.
• Planning: proposed planning should keep basic principles of Airport Zoning in mind.
• Contextual: contextual understanding (including site’s context and culture) should play a key role in the design concept.

Requirements

The basic areas mentioned below can be taken into consideration as a starting point:

• Main departure lounge
• Departure hall
• Arrival at the airport
• Gate waiting area
• Ticket sales
• Check-in, passports/security, check-in baggage
• Retail experience
• Arrivals, baggage reclaim, exit, customs, arrival at the gate,
• Meeting/greeting

Please note- This is not an exhaustive list. Also, participants are not expected to give technical details for any of the aspects; only zoning for them and proposing an overall concept for the Airport are key for this challenge.