Taoyuan Airport T3

The design for Taoyuan Terminal 3 synthesises the practice’s previous major airport experience with the specific brief. It has brought together the flexibility of the single span, loose-fit volume of Heathrow Terminal 5 – the span for the unique banyan columns is 72m - with the warmth and human qualities of the flowing interior spaces of Barajas Terminal 4. The result is a unique, dynamic, and fluid architecture that allows for easy adaptation and future transformation of airport functions without compromising the passenger experience or the architectural integrity.

The RSHP proposal is inherently simple in its concept: the rolling roof is informed by the flight of migratory birds which use Taiwan as a vital midway resting point. This undulating, diaphanous space, with its light-scattering cloud ceiling, creates a range of interior spaces which can be grand, intimate, uniform, or dramatic and whose activities can be curated and changed over time. This adjustable scaling will give 45 million annual passengers spatial clarity in all areas: large, small, busy, or quiet, to reduce stress and improve wellbeing and comfort. This flexibility ensures the airport is always at its best and suitably presented as the principal gateway to and from Taiwan to the rest of the world.

T3 will be the first of a new generation, a highlight in the journey for new and seasoned travellers alike. It will offer arriving passengers an equality of spatial experience to those departing. Its rational plan arrangement is forecast to deliver minimum connection times of just 40 minutes, the best in the region, with simple wayfinding and airside connectivity.