British studio Foster + Partners has unveiled its design for Techo International Airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which has commenced construction 20 kilometres south of the city centre.
Drawing from the local vernacular and its tropical climate setting, the design by Foster + Partners will consist of a new airport city and a terminal building with a grid-shell roof that was designed to resemble a tree canopy.
Foster + Partners' design for Techo International Airport was "inspired by Cambodia's history"
"An airport is amongst the most important of public buildings, reflecting its symbolic status as the gateway to a city and its crucial role in the globalised economy," Foster + Partners head of studio Stefan Behling said.
"The new Techo International Airport will be an important part of Phnom Penh's continued development as the nation's primary inter-regional, inter-modal transport hub." Foster + Partners was informed by the Cambodian vernacular for the design
The terminal building will comprise a central headhouse for all passenger processing and retail functions, which will be flanked on either side by two curving aerofoil-shaped wings for departures and arrivals.
A single lightweight steel roof consisting of an interconnected canopy of "trees" will stretch across the entire structure, with each tree spanning 36 metres.
The roof design will also use a filtering screen to capture natural light and illuminate the terminal interior.
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