Global Recognition: Clark International Airport is a Finalist of the Prix Versailles Architecture and Design Awards - The Scene

The Pampanga-based structure is going up against the likes of Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt and Terminal B of New York’s La Guardia.

READ ALSO: Keep It Quaint: 5 Charming Properties For Your Next Intimate Getaway

The new terminal building of Clark International Airport is one of the top six finalists in the 2021 World Selection of the prestigious Prix Versailles Architecture and Design Awards. Finalists of the Prix are chosen for their innovative qualities, creativity and its design connection to the culture and heritage. 

Created in 2015, the Prix Versailles recognizes fantastic architecture not only of airports but other commercial or private spaces such as school campuses, malls, and sports stadiums. It aims to have a better mix of cultural and economic domains.

“This nomination is a recognition of the outstanding qualities of Clark International Airport—even with the fluidity of its state of art technology, this Airport reflects a deep sense of place as it takes inspiration from the natural formations and surrounding landscape,” says Bi Yong Chungunco, chief executive officer of the Luzon International Premiere Airport Development Corp (LIPAD), the consortium in charge of the airport’s operations and maintenance. 

The LIPAD official cited the role of Populous, lead interior designer and retail planner for the new terminal which ensured that the Filipino culture and aesthetic reverberated through all aspects of interior design.

Thoughtful features

Populous architect Ben Dawson says that passenger experience was at the heart of this design of the airport, which was unveiled to the public last month.

“We believe the Philippines will be proud of Clark International Airport which draws on the energy of the local people and the environment as inspiration for the interior design and key feature installations throughout the terminal’s event spaces,” says Dawson.

Chungunco adds that aside from its modern features, the airport is proudly inclusive because of thoughtful features such as a dedicated OFW lounge, walk-through commercial spaces, gender-neutral toilets and elevators and escalators in each boarding gate—making the terminal accessible to all. 

This distinction is timely, Chungunco goes on, as it comes at a time when the Filipinos and the rest of the world look forward to better times and the decline of the pandemic. “When travel is relaxed, which most probably be in phases, Clark International Airport will be there to delight passengers and as a fitting testament to Philippine capacities,” she says.

This four-level terminal is on an area of 110,000 square meters and has the capacity to accommodate eight million passengers annually. 

Alongside the Clark International Airport’s New Terminal Building, other airports around the world that have been selected to compete in the Prix Versaille World Finale are Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt (Germany), Athens International Airport (Greece), South Wing Hazrat Sultan International Airport (Kazakhstan), New Plymouth Airport (New Zealand), LaGuardia Airport, Terminal B (New York). 

The winners in the Airport category will be announced in the World Awards Ceremony at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris later this year.

For more information, visit Prix-Versailles.com.

Order your print copy of this month's LIFESTYLE ASIA Magazine:
Download this month's LIFESTYLE ASIA digital copy from:
Subscribe via [email protected]