Photo © Robert Polidori
A work of the American firm SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), the recently inaugurated Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport in Mumbai presents a sculptural concrete canopy with motifs inspired in the tradition of Indian pavilions and courtyards. Held up by thirty columns, the ensemble of cells presents pieces of glass whose colors resemble those of the tail of a peacock, the country’s national bird. The decorative roof extends beyond the four-level building’s glazed facades. The 40-hectare terminal has an X-shaped floor plan – with a modular design that reduces execution time – that minimizes walking distances for travelers catching domestic and international flights.