KPF Reportedly Selected for Changi Airport Expansion

Update 16 April: A press release from KPF and Heatherwick Studio confirms that the Changi Airport Group has selected the the team to design the airport's new Terminal 5.

The consortium bested two other teams shortlisted about a year ago: Grimshaw Architects with DP Architects; and Safdie Architects with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Surbana Jurong, and RSP Architects. Safdie Architects is completing the Jewel Changi Airport, a large mixed-use development with hotel, retail, dining, and gardens that will include the world's largest indoor waterfall.

Jewel Changi Airport is set to open next year, two years after the completion of Terminal 4, which brought the airport's total annual handling capacity to 82 million passengers. Terminal 5 is expected to handle a staggering 50 million passengers annually, on par with the capacity of Terminals 1 to 3 combined.

The design of Terminal 5 by KPF, Heatherwick Studio, and James Corner Field Operations, et. al. is not available at this time, but we'll update the news once images are released.

Terminal 5 is the main component of the Changi East, the developmet of 1,080 hectares east of the existing terminals (bottom half in above, preliminary plan). The project also consists of a three-runway system, the construction of tunnels and other underground systems, and the development of cargo complexes and other supporting infrastructure. Opening of Terminal 5 would happen around 2030.