At Design Forum International, designs are aimed at creating memorable and awe-inspiring experiences for the users. The Guwahati International Airport is conceptualized in a similar vein: the intent is to trigger moments of discovery and togetherness, enhancing user-engagement. DFI also believes that it is important to be contextually reverent. The design, therefore, is infused with the flavours of Assam, the land which is asam (undulating).
The form of the structure takes inspiration from Icarus – the mythological figure who dared to fly. The majestic centrepiece is symbolic and looms over the departure concourse, its arms outstretched as it reaches out to the skies. The floating form doubles up as the canopy for the drop-off zone. Terminal roof, the flooring patterns, the column cladding, the theme walls, and even the signage design are inspired by Japanese paper folding art of Origami.
Spaces have been allocated for the artisans to sit and produce right at the airport, encouraging interaction with visitors. Adding to several design elements are the indoor forests. The visitor is positioned within a 90-feet high indoor rainforest, which needs to be navigated before being reunited with the luggage.
The Namaskar Atrium is a massive double-heighted space that creates an experience for the inbound visitor, with its walls adorned with the art and craft of Assam. The Baggage Claim hall wall is an exercise in modularity with Origami aluminum panels that derive inspiration from the hilly terrain of the North-eastern states.
The tea-gardens are a mark of reverence to the context, and serve as an inspiration for landscape design. They are positioned at the front yard along with a water cascade. The Guwahati Airport is designed with 4-Star GRIHA rating parameters.
The indoor forest is a physical manifestation of this thought: it is separated by a glass wall from the larger outdoor forest, fitting in like a tongue-in-groove with the terminal building, and becoming an integral and inseparable part of the built whole. The car park structures are designed to be covered with photovoltaic panels that generate almost 500 KW of solar energy.
At the altar of the land of the mighty Brahmaputra and Maa Kamakhya Devi, the New Integrated Terminal Building at Guwahati International Airport is an ode to the ancient yet reinvigorated spirit of Assam, the Seven Sisters, and the very own Incredible India. It is the collective dream and effort of a team of fifteen consulting and design firms, including Aecom, Design Forum International, Integral Designs, Axis Facades, Gaurav Jindal, Alpana Khare Designs and CBRE .
