Changi Airport Terminal 3, Singapore

The completion of Terminal 3 marked the successful culmination of Changi Airport Master plan development, which took place over a span of 30 years. The success of Changi Airport can be seen from the accolade of awards it has received over the years and the role it has attained as a national icon. Facing increasing competition from the emergence of new airport terminals in the region, Terminal 3 has to enhance Changi Airport's competitive edge as a hub airport and meet the rising passenger expectations. Beyond getting the basic right, Terminal 3 has incorporated certain unique design features through the use of green and sustainable design technologies to achieve quality of light, the lightness of roofs and skylights, the feeling of openness and transparency and the presence of water and greenery. Structurally, the challenges were to adopt efficient, buildable, robust and yet flexible systems that also integrate well with the overall design. After more than 480 million passenger movements, 24 million tons of freight, three passenger terminals, Changi Airport has emerged a much celebrated hub in the age of air travel. Almost every opinion poll of travellers speaks of Changi as a leader of the pack. Its track record and reputation have made it an international benchmark for airport design and operation. From its inception in the 1970s, the Changi Airport Master plan embodies the strategy for growth, a 3-terminal and 2-runway blueprint. The opening of Terminal 3 (T3) for operation on 9 th January 2008 marked the successful completion of the 3-terminal master plan for Changi Airport on the current site. Terminal 3 is a hybrid of linear and pier concepts. With a total area of 380 000 m 2 and layout as shown in Fig. 1, it is a large complex designed to handle an annual passenger capacity of 20 million and accommodate 28 aircraft parking stands with connecting passenger boarding bridges, of which eight are for new large aircrafts such as Airbus A380. A critical consideration in the design was the issue of continuity and connectivity – how the three terminals function collectively. The final configuration of T3 incorporated passenger and baggage systems that would link up the airport in a metaphorical holding of hands. Of the systems that allow this, the People Mover System (PMS), dubbed as Changi Skytrain System, was built into full loop that facilitates above-ground transfer from each terminal to the other two (Fig. 2). Below ground, baggage is transported by a high speed, interterminal baggage handling system shared by the three terminals. On the broader question of connectivity, Singapore's commuter train, the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT) has extended eastward to Changi, linking the airport with the rest of the island. The new MRT station straddles Terminals 2 and 3, with direct commuter access to each.