THE first sight that struck me as I entered the swanky Terminal 2 of Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) were the green vertical walls around the terminal with hanging gardens cascading from the terminal roof on bells and veils suspended from the ceiling. Filled with lush greenery, the airport provides a unique outdoor experience in the comfort of an indoor environment. The verdant ambience also extends to the green lagoons within its premises and the extensive forest belt between the terminal and boarding piers.
Designed by New York-based architectural firm SOM T2, the 255,661-sq.-m terminal is a tribute to the lovely city of Bengaluru. T2 is a first-of-its-kind ‘Terminal in a Garden’ and gives Bengaluru airport the status of being the ideal extension of Bengaluru city’s green aesthetics. The terminal and the area leading up to it are designed to give passengers an experience of walking in a garden. Right from the entry into the airport campus from the Main Access Road (MAR) to entering T2 and then boarding the aircraft at the piers, passengers will be visually treated with varying shades of green. The four guiding principles that have influenced the design and architecture of T2 are: terminal in a garden, sustainability, technology, and art and culture.