KIA T2

“TERMINAL IN A GARDEN”

The ‘Airport’… where new adventures begin… where travel dreams take flight!

Most people bounce off the walls as they make their way into an airport and quite understandably so! They go through a confusing bubble of exhilaration right from getting to the airport, hustling their luggage & frantically checking-in, abiding by sweeping security-check procedures, and until finally being able to grab a quick bite to refuel themselves, before boarding the plane.

While airport infrastructure functioning 24x7 is meant to handle and support passengers, visitors, staff and crew members hyper-efficiently, all too well in order pertaining to, arrival and departure schedules without jumble; steady growth in number of fliers and hence air traffic over the last few decades, owing to rise in affordability, increase in connectivity, flexibility & feasibility of flight options, and ever expanding fleet sizes by airlines, is a great cause of immediate worry as a serious threat to the environment.

To keep up with demands, without putting ‘air travelers’ down in the dumps, many airports globally (like Zurich Airport {Switzerland}, Frankfurt Airport {Germany}, Stockholm Airport {Sweden}, Boston Logan Airport {USA}, Incheon Airport {South Korea} and our very own Indira Gandhi International Airport {New Delhi}) have paved the way forward by ‘going green’ i.e. turning eco-friendly by appreciably shifting over to renewable sources of energy for daily operations.

Greener measures to reduce carbon emissions include airports cutting down fuel and electricity consumption by harnessing their own solar/wind energy or using bio-fuels, focusing on natural or recycled materials for future constructions, eliminating single-use plastics, keeping a regular check on aircraft pollution, rainwater harvesting and so on.

Further moving a notch higher, is the exuberant impression of ‘garden in an airport’ or vice-versa ‘airport in a garden’! A stellar example of such an airport that has been hard to beat for too many years in a row is hands down Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport – why not with an indoor forest, 40-meters tall waterfall (Rain Vortex), a canopy park and flower-decked horticultural spaces!

Howbeit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi counterpoised a prolonged yearning for a ‘Changi-like gardened airport’ in India when he inaugurated a spanking new ‘Terminal 2 (T2)’ at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in ‘Namma Bengaluru’ in November 2022.

We are living in a time when Airports are the aura popularis, becoming the ‘pass’ for earning prestige when evaluating the advancement of a nation.

With countries continuously challenging each other in building not just hi-tech digitalized facilities for managing airplanes and passenger flow, but also those which abundantly display high-end innovation, creativity in design, ecological efficiency, intellectual sustainability and reflection of local culture to the hilt; KIA’s second terminal, bagging a ‘special prize for interior’ in 2023 by ‘UNESCO’s Prix Versailles’ (Paris based architectural awards jury) for standing out as one of the world’s best and most beautiful airport, is by no means ordinary, and in fact a matter of overflowing pride not just for Bengalureans but for Indians on the whole.

Planned by renowned architectural firms, Skidmore, Owings & Merill (SOM) and Grant Associates, and constructed by Larson & Turbo (L&T) over 255000 sq.m. of area for a whopping cost of 13000 crores, T2 has been on a roll ever since it opened Phase 1 of its stupendous building to the public, attracting approximately 37 million passengers {international & domestic} per year.

Primarily designed to compliment Bengaluru’s ‘garden city’ tag, every feature in the airport beginning with the outdoor plaza from where travelers step inside, helps them connect and ‘glide’ along with artful nature decor, to re-energize and calm down with a sense of peace, till they reach the gates.

The most unique aspect about T2 is the eye-catchy ochre-color of ‘engineered bamboo’ used in the construction, which has been aesthetically suffused with dandy green foliage – a sublime combo that works wonders in bewitching passengers whose tired/grim facial expression breaks into a sparky smile in a flash.

Fabricated fire-resistant bamboo for layering and cross-laying ceilings is the first of its kind in the world; a super successful idea as the structural integrity of bamboo was found to reduce the amount of secondary support required, and also effectively filter in natural light.

The classy ambience phenomenally underscores interior and exterior (hanging & terraced) gardens, rammed-earth walls, 90-meter wide swath of forest-belt, multi-story pavilions connected by bridges, green lagoons, tiered-waterfalls to cool indoors, locally sourced ivory-brown granite, furnishings clad in traditionally woven rattan, and conceptual artworks based on two themes – Karnataka’s rich heritage & culture and Bharata Natyashastra’s (Science of Indian Dance Forms) Naurasa (9 emotions).

While marveling at the novelty and biophilic views of the airport terminal, going bonkers with evocative photography and basking in its redefined luxury is all hunky-dory, appreciating all that went behind the screens of this challenging installation of flora-n-fauna, imparting a grand visual feast of tranquil greenery all around the airport campus is equally essential…

• About 7900 trees {more than 50 species} and 100000 shrubs have been planted (the biodiversity includes some 600-800 year old transplanted trees)

• 2000+ Indian plant species make up the forest-belt

• 150000 live plants of various species adorn the hanging gardens, which are either bell-shaped or onion-shaped baskets.

• Additionally 450000 live plants grow in the verdant walls lining the corridor between check-in counters and security gates.

• The terminal’s refreshing flora have been obtained from multiple ecological habitats of India.

• Weather-based automated Smart irrigation system and sensor-based IoT system is employed for nourishing the plantage.

Where Bengaluru KIA’s Terminal 1 was already an over-indulgent experience for travelers in terms of eclectic shopping choices and gourmet dining options, Terminal 2 beats the former by serving as a massive immersive and unforgettable experience for global flyers, where they don’t just rush around; but pause, ponder, relax and interact, both during departures and arrivals. Terminal 2 was pre-certified with a Platinum LEED rating by the US Green Building Council even before commencement, and Platinum certified by the Indian Green Building Council.

This is not all… Phase 2 of T2 is in the making with 360-degree view Garden Pavillion and what not?! Will have to wait and see…

The whole idea is to transform airports from simply being a conduit between two destinations, to incorporating expansive green public spaces and atria (preferred by people to spend time with their gadgets or socializing) seamlessly with retail facilities.

KIA’s Terminal 2 modeled to stay ahead of the game for many years to come, is an epitome of a re-imagined elevated ‘travel lifestyle’ that new-age Indians are fast willing to adapt to and revel in.

So be prepared to be lost in the airport, only to be found in a new world!