Critical Parameters of Airport Terminal Design

Abstract

An airport is a highly secured, organized and a well-planned structure, which regulates the flow of passengers and goods out or in a state or city. It’s a common interactive platform for the land-based vehicles, passengers and their approach to the facility. “In 1995, the French anthropologist Marc Suge categorized airports as a “non-place”-Found worldwide, devoid of any identity with uniform structure and sameness.”, However, like every other public building or a space, every element of airport is carefully and strategically put together. Although a “non-place” but a terminal building is designed to enrich passenger travelling experience. As every airport stands as a gateway to the city and country, it needs to proudly hold a unique identity. A terminal building deals with various levels of regularly evolving complexities that needs to be understood and addressed properly to successfully design a terminal. It is important as an architect to identify and understand the various requirements, complexity of situation, the functioning of an important building like airport. There are a lot of different aspects that goes in together for a user friendly, beautiful yet secured terminal building. There are security considerations, airport specific services, structural design requirements, choice of materials, planning strategies, functioning, circulation, user experience and many more which collectively makes a terminal more user friendly and secured. The purpose of this dissertation is to analysis the various design strategies for the architectural components along with the integration of modern technology and problems into the planning and the designing of airports. A brief study of the development in terminal buildings over years along with modifying situation, evolving demands, components, complexity of functions and advancement in technology will be studied through cases studies and research papers which will help us address the design process of ever-changing terminals. This dissertation will outline the various aspects that are important while designing a complex structure like a terminal.