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Changi Airport’s new T4 is slated to open by 2017 |
SINGAPORE. Singapore Changi Airport today broke ground on the construction of Terminal 4, a facility that Changi Airport Group (CAG) said would “re-define passengers’ travel experience”.
T4 will feature more than 15,000sq m of space dedicated to shopping and dining, and include the airport’s first walk-through duty free store, housing both liquor & tobacco and fragrances & cosmetics.
At the groundbreaking ceremony graced by Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew, guests were given the first glimpse of the design of Changi Airport’s newest terminal.
To be built on the site of the former Budget Terminal (BT), T4 will be a two-storey, 25m-high building with a gross floor area of 195,000sq m. The terminal’s showpiece is a 300m-long Central Galleria which separates the public zone from the restricted zone. A first for Changi Airport, T4’s “visual-transparent concept” will provide clear visibility from the Check-in Hall of the offerings in the Transit Lounge.
Besides creating a sense of openness, greenery and natural lighting will also be used to enhance the ambience of the terminal. And taking public feedback into consideration, the T4 transit area will feature local culture and heritage-theme features, such as retail stores with facades of old Peranakan shop houses. Retail and F&B offerings at T4 will be comparable to the range and variety offered at Changi Airport’s other terminals.
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Colour coded: Retail at T4 will sport a bright, vibrant design |
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The new terminal will feature shop front facades akin to old ‘Peranakan’ shops |
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There will be over 15,000sq m of retail and F&B at T4 |
T4 will see, for the first time at Changi, the extensive roll-out of a suite of fast and seamless travel (FAST) initiatives. These self-service and automated options will be offered at check-in, bag drop, immigration clearance and departure gate boarding.
T4’s FAST initiatives are part of a global trend towards self-service options in airports, noted CAG, and necessary in Singapore which faces a very tight labour market, especially in the ground handling and security sectors.
The design of T4, based on a “simple and functional” architectural concept, is undertaken by a design consortium led by SAA Architects Pte Ltd, with members including UK architecture firm Benoy Ltd. It draws inspiration from an orchid petal.
In terms of floor area, the T4 building will be about seven times larger than the BT, with 17 contact stands for narrow-body aircraft and four for wide-body aircraft. These stands will come with aerobridges, increasing convenience and accessibility for passengers, claimed CAG. Designed to enable quick turnaround of aircraft, T4 will have the flexibility to serve both regional full-service and low-cost carriers.
The terminal layout of T4 has been designed to “provide ease of wayfinding and accessibility,” said CAG. The immigration and pre-board security screening areas will be centralised at the south end of the terminal, to create a clear single directional path for passengers towards their boarding gates.
While T4 is expected to handle mainly origin-destination traffic, a dedicated free airside shuttle between T4 and Terminal 2 will be provided to cater to passengers with onward connections on non-T4 airlines.
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Greenery and natural lighting will be used to enhance the ambience of the terminal |
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With the ability to handle 16 million passenger movements a year, T4’s completion in 2017 will bring Changi Airport’s total annual passenger capacity to 82 million. To support the terminal’s operations, another 17 narrow-body and nine wide-body aircraft stands are being built at a land plot south of Terminal 3.
At T4 landside, there will be up to 1,500 parking spaces for private vehicles in an open-air car park in front of the terminal as well as in a multi-storey car park. Both car parks will be connected to the terminal via sheltered links. A regular free shuttle service between T4 and the other terminals will also be provided.
Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang said: “Terminal 4 is set to challenge and redefine the way we travel. We have conceptualised and designed the terminal for passengers who view the time spent at the airport as very much part of their travel and holiday. Hence, we are introducing new breakthroughs that will enhance their travel experience and excite them at the same time.
“With T4, we are rethinking travel, exploring how key operational functions can be designed differently to optimise process flow, interior space, as well as manpower resources. We are also challenging ourselves to deliver an even higher level of the “˜Changi Experience’, by creating a boutique ambience and reflecting thoughtfulness for our passengers through the details in our design.
“In the aspects of architecture, layout and technology, we have future-proofed the terminal so that it can adjust to changing requirements of the industry.”
Lee added: “Despite its relatively small size, our vision is for T4 to be an iconic terminal, setting new benchmarks – for passenger experience, operational efficiency and manpower productivity for our airport partners. We look forward to welcoming passengers to T4 in 2017 with a new Changi Experience; one that will continue to be personalised, stress-free and positively surprising.”
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