Taiwan’s largest airport, Taoyuan International Airport, has opened its North Concourse, providing eight new gates for its busy Terminal 3. The project, which is set to welcome 5.8 million passengers a year, was led by the London-based architecture firm RSHP, which designed the new expansion at the world’s 11th busiest airport.
The completion of the North Concourse at Taoyuan International Airport marks a significant milestone in the delivery of Terminal 3, Taiwan’s largest public building project since the Ten Ma.
Inside Taoyuan International Airport's new terminal gates
Located in Dayuan, Taoyuan International Airport is around 40km west of Taipei. The expansion was completed while the airport remained fully operational, and marks the start of further ambitions for Terminal 3.
RSHP delivered a clear design language, fluid and dynamic, which can be adapted as the area expands in the future. The eight new gates (which extend from D10 to D18) are generous in width and offer long, clear sightlines to allow for smooth, pleasant and efficient travel.
Precision-engineered elements include bespoke halo light fittings that animate the ceilings and white ‘lotus’ head, multifunctional totems which provide air supply
The colour palette is a mix of yellow, orange and burgundy, and you progress from one hue to another as you move along the concourse, allowing for easy gate identification. The silver façade, designed to control glare and heat, allows natural light to shine through the double-height space, offering views across the airfield.
The building's structure helps form a variety of internal volumes through the use of different ceiling heights. This creates a wave-like visual effect when travelling through its spaces. The bespoke halo light fittings animate the ceilings. The final touch is the 300m length of public artworks, nodding to Taiwanese culture.
Generous aisle widths, clear sightlines and varying volumes ensure a calm and legible passenger experience
Terminal 3’s next phase will include the completion of the hard-shell roof, which is inspired by Taiwan’s cloud-capped mountains. Its undulating surface will be studded with luminous pendants. Currently, the ceiling is undergoing a series of in-situ lighting tests to explore the concept's full capability and how this will enhance the space below.
Delivered while the airport remains fully operational, the project will increase capacity to 45 million passengers a year and establish the airport as a major international hub in East Asia
‘RSHP has succeeded in designing a terminal that responds holistically to the evolving needs of passengers, the airport, and the emerging aerotropolis,’ says Andrew Tyley, director of RSHP. ‘It is a defining project that repositions Taoyuan as a global gateway and sets a new benchmark for airport architecture in the region.’