A call has been issued for expressions of interest from firms with experience designing a comparable airport in the past five years. Firms pitching for the design of the terminal building at the new airport will have to outline how they plan to involve university students with a link to Western Sydney. 鈥淭his is an incredible opportunity for architecture or design students who study or live in Western Sydney to be a part of this once-in-a-generation project,鈥� said Western Sydney Airport CEO Graham Millett.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to ensure that Western Sydney will be proud of the airport鈥檚 terminal 鈥� but we want a design that prioritises pleasing our future passengers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you look at airports around the world, Singapore鈥檚 Changi Airport is regularly voted the world鈥檚 best 鈥� the design of its famous Terminal 4 was focussed more on offering passengers a world-class experience than the external look.鈥�
Millett said that like Changi, Western Sydney Airport鈥檚 terminal will be designed from the inside out. 鈥淲e鈥檒l not only offer the smoothest possible journey from the terminal entrance to the aircraft gate, but we want the terminal to be a destination in itself,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hink retail, restaurants and entertainment before you go through security, streamlined processing, lots of space and light, and a terminal that鈥檚 reliable, fun and easy to find your way around. When they鈥檙e inside the terminal 鈥� that鈥檚 when we want visitors to say 鈥榳ow鈥� 鈥� we鈥檙e aiming for it to be selfie central.鈥�
Western Sydney Airport will have a combined international and domestic terminal, with the first stage to open in 2026, designed to cater for up to 10 million passengers a year.
The terminal will be designed to grow in stages without disrupting passengers, becoming the largest gateway to Australia in the 2060s, catering for more than 80 million passengers a year.
Following the open call for entries, potential terminal designs will go through a competitive process, with a final design being chosen by a panel that will be finalised in coming months.
The final terminal design is expected to be unveiled by the end of this year.
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