Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 3 Area

Design Concepts

Place making at urban scale
The new Terminal 3 for Taoyuan airport is the new gateway for the Aerotropolis. With strong connections to Taipei through the MRT and vehicular traffic, the new Terminal 3 fosters strong connections to the new development area. Creating a closer proximity of terminal 3 to terminal 2 gives significant advantages when considering the terminals of Taoyuan airport as an operational “hub” rather than segregated terminals. The main entrance of terminal 3 will become the most visually prominent facade for the Taoyuan airport. As one arrives to T3, the roof transitions in a smoothly up-lifting opening up gesture designed to guide people at the curb side to the various entrances. This welcoming gesture is reinforced by the high level of transparency of the glass facades, enhancing the fluid connection between public spaces inside and out. Externally, the canopy reaches over the roadways to provide protection. The experience of the journey starts outside the terminal building!

Place making at building scale
In Terminal 3 we are building an environment: to create an architecture that is responsive to all environmental constraints, creating localised micro-climatic zones internally, and an outer and inner shell that work in concert with one another to ensure the optimum performance of all spaces. The building design is of integral nature. It benefits from a clear organization that provides passengers with high efficiency, while satisfying the need for physical convenience and comforts. The terminal building is characterized by short walking distances, minimal level changes and natural way-finding through refined execution of orientation and daylight principles. At the large scale, the architecture itself forms guiding elements – expressed prominently in the vertical structure connecting the MRT with arrival and departure levels, and the visual voids between departure and arrival levels. These important experiential moments and the building as a whole, is based on a rational and efficient grid system (9m base grid) that further differentiates the larger zones. Furthermore, prefabrication off site and assembly on site, efficient use of construction material and building load, all contribute to an effective implementation of the overall design strategy.

Place making at interior scale
Our vision is to create an extended experience for the various users. The design speaks of ‘place making’ through the creation of a sequence of spaces that privilege comfort, ease of use and orientation. The cumulative effect of this is a pleasant environment that communicates our best wishes to the visitors. Natural way finding is an overarching principle for the internal organization of the spaces, supported by traditional way finding at key-locations. The different micro climates are defined by physical conditions related to daylight, humidity, temperature and air flow corresponding to the predominant use of such zones. Localized uses are interchangeable and can include retail, recreation, relaxation, food & beverage, play and work; whereas the plants, media, art and Taiwanese culture constitute the integral components of these different zones. It is through this attentiveness across all scales that the project achieves a holistic design approach. The strategy of place making achieves the dual effect of appealing foremost to the end users - the people, and consequentially - to the various stakeholders in and around the airport business. Our team has deliberately chosen to take the ‘unknown’ path. From the project inception, we have sought to conflate the spatial and functional experience of passengers. We have looked for an organizational model generated by principles of natural way-finding; creating an interior ecology that is entirely distinct from the look and feel of comparable airports. Through careful analysis of such precedents, our design approach has sought to build upon and improve the organizational models of airport efficiency. Through this process, we have come to understand that the design for Terminal 3 is not just a building, but a project latent with potential for considering the Taoyuan airport as a hub. This attitude encompasses a desire to see all systems well integrated and aligned with each other, which will in turn allow the design for T3 to be perceived with increased significance - as it will be understood as a catalyst for the transformation of Taoyuan airport.