The world’s most beautiful airport could soon rise in one of the most seismically active regions on earth after BIG revealed new plans for the Bhutan Gelephu International Airport, a terminal resembling “a stylised mountain range at a distance.”
As a key part of Bhutan’s new Gelephu “mindfulness city”—covered by Wood Central this week—the airport, located at the border of India and Bhutan, will be constructed out of mass timber, using an innovative diagrid design that reinforces glulam beams and columns.
Moreover, using locally sourced timber—a key requirement for all projects in the 386-square-mile megacity—will allow for simple disassembly and expansion. Spanning 68,000 square metres, the airport will handle 123 daily flights and is projected to welcome 1.3 million passengers by 2040.
“All the mass timber members are carved and coloured according to traditional craft, adorned with three types of dragons representing Bhutan’s past, present, and future. The result is traditional yet avant-garde, forward-reaching and rooted.”
Bjarke Ingels, BIG’s founder and creative director.
Inside, an internal courtyard, dubbed the Forest Spine, divides the terminal into two sections – for domestic and international travel. The airport also offers abundant natural light and features a triple-height entry, floor-to-ceiling windows, and skylights. Using climate-responsive, passive designs, the all-timber structure absorbs moisture from the air, helping to regulate indoor humidity, while Ventilated roofs and courtyards allow natural airflow— featuring rooftop PV panels.
“An airport is the first and last impression you get of a place you visit,” Ingels said. “For the Gelephu International Airport, we have tried to embody the nature and culture of the country and the Mindfulness City.”
According to Ingels, the new design will be showcased at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, Ancient Future, in May and will remain on exhibition until September. The project is a collaboration with aviation engineering firm Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO). Other collaborators in the project include Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC), Changi Airport Planners and Engineers, Influit, and WT Partnership. BIG is the design architect and structural engineer, and Influit is the MEP engineer.
- To learn more about Gelephu – and the Bhutan royal family’s plans to build a carbon-negative megacity out of mass timber bamboo and stone, click here for Wood Central’s special feature. For examples of BIG projects, including Luxembourg Airport’s Skypark Business Centre (SBC), click here for more information.
