Incheon, Korea
Heerim Architects & Planners with Gensler and Mooyoung Architects & Engineers and Aviation Consultants BNP Associates has designed the new, phoenix-inspired Passenger Terminal 2 at Incheon International Airport in Yeongjong-do, Incheon that symbolizes a leap forward in Korean air travel and sets new standards for airport design.
Incheon International Airport is a global hub airport of Northeast Asia, as well as the national capital’s air transport hub for the 21st century.
As passenger capacity demand increased, the necessity for a second terminal arose and Incheon International Airport Corporation held a design competition for its new Terminal 2.
In recognition of Heerim Architects & Planners’s design experience and proficiency in aviation facilities, it was awarded the first prize with consortium members Gensler Architecture and Design, Mooyoung Architects & Engineers, and Yungdo Engineers & Consultants.
After four continuous years of design development and construction from July 2011 to 2015, Incheon International Airport Passenger Terminal 2 opened by the opening of the Olympic Winter Games Pyeong Chang in January 2018.
Since the terminal opened, the annual passenger capacity of Incheon International Airport has increased from 54 million to 72 million, and the new terminal is used by Korean Air, KLM, Air France, and Delta Air Lines.
Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 is capable of accommodating 18 million passengers annually and has 37 aircraft stands.
It has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The design for the terminal is embodied and inspired by “bonghwang,” a phoenix that represents a leap forward.
Symbolizing the advent of a new reign of peace, it shares the vision of Incheon International Airport to lead future airports and begin a new paradigm beyond the previous standards.
Dynamic dimensions in space were created through the ceiling design, forming the shape of a feather of the bonghwang at the check-in counter zone.
The cable net system applied to the main curtain wall maximizes the sense of openness on the front side of the terminal.
The ceiling plan in the carousel zone, where the passengers find their luggage, embodies the shape of the roof of Hanok, the traditional Korean house, presenting an inspiring space.
The Green Axis along all airport spaces, including the Great Hall at the center of the departure hall, is completed with landscaping, such as the Node Garden and the Antler Area), transforming Incheon International Airport into an eco-friendly airport.
Project: Incheon International Airport Passenger Terminal 2
Architects: Heerim Architects & Planners Co., Ltd.
Associate Architects: Gensler and Mooyoung Architects & Engineers Co., Ltd.
Aviation Consultants: BNP Associates, Inc.
Contractors: Hanjin Consortium (Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd., GS Holdings, DL Construction, POSCO E&C) and Hyundai Consortium(Hyundai Engineering & Construction, HDC Hyundai Development Company, Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd., Chinhung International, Inc.)
Client: Incheon International Airport Corporation, IIAC
Photographers: Wan Soon Park
