Singapore Changi Airport’s new Terminal 3, which will open its doors in early 2008, will offer a brand new travel experience for passengers. The interior design and layout of the terminal was unveiled today at a Topping-Out Ceremony graced by the Minister for Transport, Mr Yeo Cheow Tong. This event marks the completion of the main terminal building’s structure and the beginning of its interior fit-out.

Terminal 3 is located directly opposite Changi Airport’s Terminal 2. The 380,000 square metres terminal is a seven-storey building with three basement and four above ground levels.

Terminal 3 features a unique roof architecture which will allow soft natural light into the building while keeping the tropical heat out. The one-of-its-kind roof design has more than 900 skylights with specially designed reflector panels which will automatically adjust themselves to allow an optimal amount of soft and uniform daylight into the terminal building. At night, the skylights will glow with artificial lighting delicately concealed below the reflector panels. The overall effect would be a soothing ambience at all times of the day.

Another key highlight of Terminal 3 is a five-storey high vertical garden, called the "Green Wall". Spanning 300 metres across the main building, it can be admired from both the Departure and Arrival Halls. The "Green Wall" is covered with climbing plants and is interspersed with four cascading waterfalls. In addition, a sculptured sandstone art wall display located below the "Green Wall" offers an artistic treat for arriving passengers waiting for their baggage.

On the commercial front, more than 20,000 square metres of floor space has been set aside for more than 70 retail and over 30 food & beverage outlets. To complement the see-through layout concept of Terminal 3, the Departure/Transit Mall is designed to provide a compact single shopping street layout that enhances the visibility of the retail outlets. The extensive use of glass in the terminal will allow passengers a vantage view of both the airside and landside shopping and dining zones.

Speaking at the event, Minister Yeo said "T3’s completion in 2008 will boost Changi Airport’s capacity to 64 million passengers - 16 times more than Singapore’s current population and significantly more than our humble beginnings at Kallang Airport, which was designed to handle less than a million passengers a year." He added, "Besides its unique architectural and design concepts, T3, like the rest of Changi Airport, will be extremely passenger-friendly, and will raise the level of our much-acclaimed ‘Changi Experience’ to a new high."

Terminal 3 will also employ state-of-the-art technologies to create a seamless environment for passengers transferring between the three terminals at Changi Airport. These include a new People Mover System with a total of seven train stations located at various points within the three terminals, and a high-speed baggage system to facilitate quick transfers of bags between terminals. In addition, a full-service 9-storey airport hotel is also being built next to Terminal 3. The hotel will have up to 350 guest rooms and offer a wide range of facilities and services for Changi Airport’s passengers.

Terminal 3 and its associated works cost S$1.75 billion. It will have a handling capacity of 20 million passengers per year, bringing the total annual passenger handling capacity of Changi Airport to 64 million. The terminal will be equipped with 28 aerobridge gates, of which eight will be A380-compatible gates installed with a third aerobridge arm.

Source: Singapore Changi Airport
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