The new Terminal 2, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, is putting the ‘garden’ back in the Garden City.
The new Terminal 2 of the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. (Supplied)
The Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru’s new Terminal 2 brings together cutting-edge tech with the latest in sustainability efforts and smart design.
Even though the terminal is not ready for operations just yet, we at South First got a first look at it.
T2 is built adjacent to the current terminal of the airport. Hues of beige, brown and green are echoed through the whole facade, keeping in theme with their principles of being eco-conscious.
The terminal is spread over two levels and will have 90 counters and 19 boarding gates. The gates are designed in an L-shape around the main building.
T2 will have both domestic, as well as international flights. The long-term plan is for the old terminal to have only domestic flights, whereas T2 will have select domestic as well as all the international flights.
The two terminals will be connected by a walkway 1.5 kilometres long, along with frequent shuttles going to and fro between the two.
Domestic operations at T2 are expected to begin in about two months, and international flights are slated for 2023.
“With the launch of T2, we have expanded our capacity to cater to an additional 25 million passengers every year. Over the last 14 years, BLR Airport has evolved as the ‘Gateway to South India’ and with this next phase of expansion, it aims to position the airport as the new Gateway to India,” Hari Marar, MD and CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said in a release.
With an aim to be a biodiversity hotspot, T2 is designed in the style of a garden.
The first things that greets you when you enter the terminal are colossal bamboo structures and a burst of lush greenery. The walls and the ceilings are covered by a variety of plants. Everything from the check-in counters to the air vents is covered in rattan and bamboo, adding to the aesthetic.
“What makes T2 more special is not just its scale and size, but also the fact that it’s inspired by Bengaluru city. Built as a terminal in a garden, T2 reflects all that Bengaluru stands for — a green, modern, innovative, sustainable, and culturally-rich city,” Marar added.
Bronze, bell-shaped structures cascade down from the roof. Each of these structures, which are suspended from the ceiling, houses the many plants in T2.
A total of 620 endemic plants and 3,600-plus plant species make up the landscape — this includes 150 palm species, 7,700 transplanted trees, 100 varieties of lilies, 96 lotus species and 180 rare, endangered and threatened species.
T2 is also home to 10 ecological habitats. The bamboo cladding, in the form of pillars or lattices that adorn the ceiling, is the equivalent of a distance of 923 kms.
As you move past the check-in section to the security check area, impressive indoor waterfalls catch your eye. These water bodies take design inspiration from the waterways of Karnataka.
But the bamboo, and the flora and fauna, are not just a design choice. We were informed that these are also contributing factors to the sustainability of the terminal.
The green cover naturally cleanses the air and the design of the ceiling harnesses as much daylight as possible, thus reducing energy usage. The airport also declares 100 percent usage of renewable energy across the campus.
This included solar panels, rainwater harvesting and rainfed ponds that cater to the water usage inside the airport.
Even before the start of operations, T2 was pre-certified with the prestigious Platinum LEED rating by USGBC (US Green Building Council).
The terminal also pays homage to Karnataka’s rich heritage through its arts programme. The artworks follow the theme of the concept of Naurasa or nine emotions.
The new T2 will also feature artworks by prominent artists. (Supplied)
Visitors can see Krishnaraj Chonat’s copper sculptures, MA Rauf’s Bidri wall art, Dhaatu and Anupama Hosker’s wood puppets and more. There will also be rotating art exhibits by noted artists from the city throughout the terminal.
“The opening of Kempegowda International Airport’s Terminal 2 is a historic moment for us. The last two years were the most challenging with the pandemic impacting businesses all over the world, but our work on completing T2 was constantly in progress,” said Prem Watsa, chairman and CEO of Fairfax Financial Holdings, one of the biggest investors in BIAL.
He added: “Bengaluru is an evolving and emerging city that’s always been in the news for its achievements, and it was our aspiration to build a world-class terminal. The aviation sector is recovering from the slowdown due to the pandemic, and we have inaugurated T2 at the right time.”
In the long term, officials noted that there are also plans to build a third terminal for Bengaluru airport.
