The diagrid structure of the International Airport Gelephu in the south -Bhutan was designed by the Architecture Studio Big. The 68,000 square meter terminal in GelPhu, which opened in 2029, will be Bhutan's second international airport. The design is a collaboration between the big and aviation engineering company Naco, which is to serve around 5.5 million passengers annually by 2065.
The international airport of Gelephu is embedded near the Bhutan Indian border and the Paitha River, surrounded by subtropical forests and mountains. This natural environment strongly influenced the design, whereby its wavy diagrid structure “a stylized mountain range of farm” imitated, as the Big founder Bjarke Ingels found. The Glulam framework is decorated with complicated woodcuts by dragons, which are made by local craftsmen to cause nitries, the decorative wooden columns in the traditional Bhutan architecture.
Designer: Big X Naco
“We wanted to create an experience for the International Airport Gelephu that feels deeply bhutanically – calm, inviting and connected to nature,” said Big Partner Frederik Lyng. “The airport will offer an excellent passenger experience in which spacious rooms of days, elements of the Bhutanian landscape and the complicated carvings of the Bhutanian craftsmen go hand in hand to gently lead the passenger through the terminal.”
The arrival place outside the airport is divided into four different zones, with different plants in each of the region's forests. The stone paving is continuously installed by seating areas and a canopy for protection. Within the airport, Greeny will also be prominent and contain various areas filled in plants, including an inner courtyard called Forest Back, which is visible from different parts of the airport.
The forest spine will separate the terminal into two sections – one in the west for domestic flights and one in the east for international flights. The carvings on the outside of the building will also be present inside, paired with large windows and skylights to “convey mindfulness of the often stressful experience of travel,” said Big.
The well -being of the passenger will be an important focus at the airport, with special areas for activities such as yoga, gong bads and meditation and offer traveling rooms for relaxation and rejuvenation. The infrastructure of the airport also includes photovoltaic panels that are installed on the roof to create electricity, whereby sustainability is highlighted. There will also be a “mobility center” that makes seamless transport easier, with trams and buses that combine passengers with gelphu and other parts of Bhutan.
BIG has announced that his innovative designs for the international airport Gelephu will be presented at the Venice Architecture 2025 at the Biennale. With this prestigious exhibition, the participants have the opportunity to observe a live demonstration of the facade, which is carved by both an experienced Bhutani artist and advanced machines, which offers an insight into the traditional and modern craftsmanship that is involved in the construction of the airport.
