When you think of an airport, a light, bright space filled with greenery may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but that’s exactly what Ma Yansong’s MAD Architects aimed for when creating the winning design for Changchun International Airport’s newest terminal. In 2023, the firm won an international contest for the Chinese airport’s Terminal 3 based on a design inspired by the concept of a “garden airport.”
This inspiration is fitting, given Changchun’s reputation as a “Garden City.” To create this atmosphere, the firm designed a feather-shaped roof that allows natural light to filter indoors. Not only does this create a bright atmosphere for passengers, but it also fuels the indoor landscape, which combines trees, ground covers, and water features to create a “cold zone garden” that reflects the local climate. Outside, the landscape’s forests, lakes, meadows, and undulating terrain continue the theme.
“The terminal’s approach to green design at an intimate scale is a response to the timeless human need for connection to human and plant-life alike; all within a shape as light and airy as a feather floating in the breeze,” share the architects.
Creating a human-scale experience inside a 270,000-square-meter (2.9-million-square-foot) terminal isn’t easy, but MAD has achieved it by creating a three-fingered corridor that connects Terminal 3 with the existing terminals, while also providing plenty of seating close to the aircrafts. At the entrance to the terminal, passengers can find direct access to the subway and parking, as well as the high-speed rail station a short distance away.
When complete, Changchun International Airport Terminal 3 will accommodate 22 million passengers per year, leaving from 54 gates. But with such a serene atmosphere, this might be one airport that passengers never want to leave.
MAD Architects won the international competition to design a new terminal at Changchun International Airport.
The architects have created a light, airy “garden airport” inspired by Changchun’s reputation as a garden city.
When complete, Changchun International Airport Terminal 3 will accommodate 22 million passengers per year.
