Canberra Airport has unveiled designs of its new international departures lounge and arrivals hall, which will open in September 2016. The project will cost AUS$18 million and follows the announcement in January that Singapore Airlines will become the first international airline to operate regular scheduled international flights from Canberra from September onwards.
The new interiors have been designed by Guida Moseley Brown Architects, who explained that the designs build upon the “dynamic quality of the existing terminal’s main hall; incorporating folding ceiling panels and skylights to create a generous, contemporary and light filled space”. They added: “The design’s sculptural quality celebrates the beauty of aviation technology and the dynamic atmosphere of contemporary travel.”
The new public departure lounge will include state of the art business and media lounges, private meeting rooms, an expansive bar and café dining area, and a variety of different seating and meeting areas, ranging from formal business oriented spaces to relaxed social and private spaces.
The airport says the use of innovative seating modules will provide visitors with a sense of privacy and intimacy, while providing the power and data connections required by modern day travellers. The new terminal will have capacity for up to one million international passengers a year, accommodating concurrent operations by a wide-body and narrow-body aircraft.
Canberra Airport Managing Director Stephen Byron said: “What you are seeing today is so much more than just revealing some interiors. For us, and Australia’s national capital, it is a step closer to the realisation of a dream that has been 18 years in the making. It is the final critical piece of the spectacular evolution from little more than a shed in a sheep paddock we bought in 1998, where they used to cart the rubbish out the front door, to allowing international visitors direct access to Australia’s National Capital, and putting Canberra firmly on the world map.
“Of course, we’d always allowed the space for dedicated international facilities, but it wasn’t until we had secured an international carrier with regular scheduled flights that it made economic sense to plan and build the fit-out. The planning phase started the day after we signed with Singapore Airlines and now we are ready to go full steam ahead with the building. The space set aside will be integrated seamlessly with the existing airport infrastructure and transformed into a gateway truly befitting our national capital.”
