{"id":30172,"date":"2025-11-14T16:08:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T06:08:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=30172"},"modified":"2025-11-14T22:25:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T12:25:37","slug":"quake%e2%80%91proof-timber-airport-over-himalayas-wins-waf-future-prize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/quake%e2%80%91proof-timber-airport-over-himalayas-wins-waf-future-prize\/","title":{"rendered":"Quake\u2011Proof Timber Airport Over Himalayas Wins WAF Future Prize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plans for the world’s most beautiful airport have captured global attention at the World Architecture Festival in Miami. The Gelephu International Airport<\/a>, designed by BIG \u2013 Bjarke Ingels Group, is slated to rise over the Himalayas on the border of India and Bhutan, in one of the most seismically active regions on the Planet. And unlike conventional airports built from concrete and steel, its vast structure will rely on mass timber, with glulam beams and columns forming a giant quake-proof diagrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judges praised the project for its ambition and social value, noting its seamless integration into the landscape and its sustainability goals. At the heart of the design is the “Forest Spine,” an internal courtyard that divides the terminal into domestic and international sections. The space connects travellers to nature while flooding the terminal with natural light through a triple-height entry, floor-to-ceiling windows, and skylights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Forest Spine courtyard divides domestic and international sections, flooding the terminal with natural light. (Image Credit: BIG) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Built from locally sourced timber \u2014 a cornerstone of Bhutan’s new 386\u2011square\u2011mile Mindfulness City <\/a>\u2014 the design allows for simple disassembly and rapid expansion. Covering 68,000 square metres, it is designed to accommodate 123 flights daily and is expected to welcome 1.3 million passengers by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Judges praised the airport\u2019s integration into the landscape and its climate\u2011responsive design. (Image Credit: BIG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wood Central understands that the timber members will be carved and coloured in traditional motifs, including three dragons symbolising Bhutan’s past, present and future. Bjarke Ingels, BIG’s founder and creative director, said the airport is “traditional yet avant\u2011garde, forward\u2011reaching and rooted,” adding that the “airport is the first and last impression you get of a place you visit. For Gelephu, we have tried to embody the nature and culture of the country and the Mindfulness City.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Timber members carved with dragon motifs symbolise Bhutan\u2019s past, present and future. (Image Credit: BIG)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The airport was one of six Future Projects honoured at the festival, with other winners including the Vancouver Aquatic Centre in Canada, Luana Farms in the Philippines, Smithfield Birmingham in the United Kingdom, Acclimated Sports + Multipurpose Hall in the Philippines, and Te Ara Tukutuku in Auckland, New Zealand. Highly commended projects ranged from a waste\u2011to\u2011energy plant in Vietnam to a leisure complex in Greece and an arena in Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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