Changi International Airport – Terminal 3

Changi Terminal 3
Changi Terminal 3
Changi Terminal 3
  • Client Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
  • Expertise Airports
  • Region Asia
  • Location Changi, Singapore

A spectacular system of louvered skylights headlines this major expansion of Singapore's global travel hub.

Project Facts
  • Completion Year 2007
  • Design Finish Year 2001
  • Size Building Height: 25 meters Number of Stories: 5 Building Gross Area: 380,000 square meters
  • Gates 23
  • Design Capacity 22000000 passengers
  • Collaborators
    Bartenbach GmbH CPG Consultants Pte Ltd. BNP Associates Inc. Woodhead Wilson Pte Ltd. Hugh Dutton Associates Ingrao Inc. Lea+Elliott Sato Kogyo Co Pte Ltd. Multron Security Pte Ltd. NCS Engineering Communications Pte Ltd. Nature Landscape Pte Ltd. Tyco Fire & Security CNA Engineers Pte Ltd. ADC Technologies Pte Ltd. Tierra Design (S) Pte Ltd M&G Contracts (S) Pte Ltd. Hitachi Asia Ltd. Guthrie Engineering (S) Pte Ltd. TJ Systems Pte Ltd. Crisplant Inter-Roller Consortium FKI Logistex (Asia Pacific) Co Limited Evan Lim and Company Pte Ltd.
Project Facts
  • Completion Year 2007
  • Design Finish Year 2001
  • Size Building Height: 25 meters Number of Stories: 5 Building Gross Area: 380,000 square meters
  • Gates 23
  • Design Capacity 22000000 passengers
  • Collaborators
    Bartenbach GmbH CPG Consultants Pte Ltd. BNP Associates Inc. Woodhead Wilson Pte Ltd. Hugh Dutton Associates Ingrao Inc. Lea+Elliott Sato Kogyo Co Pte Ltd. Multron Security Pte Ltd. NCS Engineering Communications Pte Ltd. Nature Landscape Pte Ltd. Tyco Fire & Security CNA Engineers Pte Ltd. ADC Technologies Pte Ltd. Tierra Design (S) Pte Ltd M&G Contracts (S) Pte Ltd. Hitachi Asia Ltd. Guthrie Engineering (S) Pte Ltd. TJ Systems Pte Ltd. Crisplant Inter-Roller Consortium FKI Logistex (Asia Pacific) Co Limited Evan Lim and Company Pte Ltd.

A new gateway to Singapore

With an increasing number of passengers moving through Changi International Airport in the mid-2000s, SOM designed a third terminal to significantly expand the airport’s capacity. Terminal 3 is a steel-and-glass structure, with four above-ground levels and a 9-hectare roof that spans above the ticketing, departure, and arrival areas.

In plan, the major spaces of the terminal are organized in a series of zones, each 300 meters long and designed according to a different function. This sequence starts at the front of the terminal, adjacent to the departures curb, where a 15-meter-wide, landscaped band is devoted to vertical circulation. This entryway leads into the ticketing hall, which is bounded by columns 60 meters apart. Following the ticketing hall are landscaped, multi-level spaces for departing travelers with lounges, retail, concessions, and other amenities.

Changi terminal 3
© Tim Griffith
Changi Airport
© Tim Griffith
© Tim Griffith

Bringing in light

One of the terminal’s most distinctive features is an overhead light modulation system that consists of glass skylights and thousands of aluminum louvers. During the day, the sensor-driven louvers limit the amount of direct sunlight entering the space by filling it with diffused light. At night, artificial light reflects off the louvers to provide a uniform pattern of illumination. This sophisticated technology helps minimize lighting and cooling costs, while also defining the signature aesthetic element of the terminal.