Chapter 3 The Evolution of Airport Design
3.0 The Evolution of Airport Design
Chart 1 Timeline of Kuala Lumpur’s Airports History
Figure 8 Sungai Besi Airport
In 1933, before any international airport in Kuala Lumpur, Sungai Besi Airfield was the first all purposed landing ground for all light and medium aircraft. The airfield was then expanded with air traffic control conducted by the British in 1948 to allow a better communication between the aircraft and the airport. Sungai Besi airport was commenced as Kuala Lumpur International Airport in the year of 1956 after a turbo propeller flight, Bristol Britannia took off to Europe (Zjian Wai, 2016). However, the main international airport moved to Subang after nine years of operation due to air communication problems and was used as base the of Royal Malaysia Air Force, Royal Malaysia Police Air Wing and the air unit of Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department today (Airport Worldwide, n.d.).
Figure 9 Subang Airport in 1965
Subang Airport, the main Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 1965 was built to replace the old Sungai Besi airport as there’s no traffic tower and communication equipment to communicate with the aircraft (S.V. Choong, 2005). With the budget of RM52 millions, Subang Airport was built to handle the high number of passengers and travelers from all around the world with impressive architecture and structure.
Figure 10 Spiral Ramp
Even though the airport was just an infrastructure hub with some retails and transportation hub to connect Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, the overall massive grey concrete structure has left a great impression to all the users as it was grand and built with a series of graceful arches back in the 1970’s (Airliners, 2012). Moreover, the interior was built with a spiral ramp (Figure 9) after the main entrance of the Terminal 1 to provide accessibility and convenience to the disabled and travelers from ground floor to the first floor and at the same time added aesthetic value to the airport.
Figure 11 Observation Deck
Since there was no aerobridge built back in the 1970’s which was inconvenient for the travelers, a covered pier was built to reduce the heat glare from sunlight and provide comfortability to the travelers. An observation deck (Figure 10) with binoculars was also built to enhance all user’s experience as they can observe the aircraft arrival and departure while sending off their friends or family members (Rozhan, 2008). However, the iconic Terminal 1 with all memorable features has been demolished in 2003 and replaced with Subang Skypark (Terminal 3) as a regional airport.
Figure 12 Subang Skypark (Terminal 3)
After the refurbishment of Terminal 3, the airport undergo changes from a normal aircraft hub into a retail experience and infrastructure hub. The original box-like exterior was added with a profile of an airplane wing’s cross section to provide a new look the terminal. The strong bold lines with lighting effects of the exterior provides user a fresh looks with welcoming ambience. For a better airport and shopping experience, the interior spaces are refurbished with mezzanine floors to provide more spaces for retails and airline offices, creating a two-storey single atrium (HL Design Group, n.d.).
Figure 13 Kuala Lumpur International Airport
In order to handle the huge capacity of passengers yearly, Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was built on the land of approximately 20000 hectares, surrounded by forest and far from the residential area to allow natural cooling system and also reduce the noise pollution. Compared to Subang Airport, KLIA has a more abstract manners which derived from the characteristics of palm tree and local Malay architectural styles (Hanif Kara, 2007). To suit the local tropical climate, the uses of stilts with organic design of roof structure can reduce the heat of the drop-off area (Figure 12) and also provide a better ventilation or comfortability for the travelers other than being aesthetic. The airport itself not only functioned as a aviation hub for travelers but also an entertainment, relaxation and also business hub with varieties of retails provided to enhance traveler’s experience (Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd, n.d.).
Figure 14 Interior of Kuala Lumpur International Airport
The large windows and pitched roofs were designed in the main terminal to allow cross ventilation and also allow maximum natural lighting into spaces, creating a warm ambience with cool temperature all day long. Even though the main terminal, contact pier and satellite building in KLIA have its own unique designs, the fundamental concept of Airport in the Forest and Forest in the Airport was still being carried out by having landscaping and trees inside the airport (Hanif Kara, 2007). In addition, the concept of passenger comfort allows travelers to travel between the main terminal and satellite building by using the contact pier built in between with extensive uses of skylight as the direction of flows in the building (Hanif Kara, 2007).
Figure 15 Layout Plan of Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2
Measured approximately to be 257,000 square feet, Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 was commenced on 2 May 2014 to cater millions of low-cost carrier passengers yearly (Klia2.info, n.d.). Compared to the structure of KLIA which is more to local Malay architectural styles, the contemporary steel structure of the KLIA2 with simple and bold lines provides a more appealing and welcoming ambience to the travelers. The structure of KLIA2 is environment-friendly and added with green features to suit the local tropical climate and taking the idea from mother nature, the interior of the terminal is themed after the rainforest (Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd, n.d.). Endless retail experiences are not only provided at Gateway KLIA2 but also in the main terminal itself and satellite building with a high volume of ceiling to provide a sense of space. Even though the layout of the airport is spacious and grand, however, with retail spaces located between the transportation hub and main terminal, travelers have to walk for a long distance to the departure gates without walkalators and it will be inconvenient for disabled.
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