KPF and Heatherwick Studio have offered an update on the design of Changi Airport’s Terminal 5 in Singapore. Described by the designers as a “bold re-imagination of the airport paradigm,” the new terminal will increase the airport’s capacity by 50 million annual passengers.

KPF and Heatherwick were awarded the bid to design the terminal back in 2018, part of a larger project to deliver 100 additional aircraft stands, a three-runway system, and new cargo complexes. The airport was also the focus of international attention in 2019 with the unveiling of Moshe Safdie’s “Jewel Changi” addition, featuring the world’s largest indoor waterfall.

The design of Terminal 5 adopts an “airport as a city” concept, where each component is seen as an opportunity to create a neighborhood with its own character. The team also bills the terminal as an “engaging new district” of benefit to travelers and locals, echoing Safdie’s move to combine natural and built elements within the airport.

“Our design for Terminal 5 is inspired by Singapore’s unique blend of nature and city,” said KPF Design Principal Trent Tesch in a statement. “We are conscious of the international significance of this project, and are focused on creating not only an iconic building that is identifiably Changi Airport but also a memorable and positive experience for travelers and the greater public.”

The scheme is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s.

News of the project comes soon after Heatherwick unveiled their latest completed project: a kinetic glasshouse in the English countryside that opens to mimic a petal. The firm has also recently completed work on Google’s Bay View HQ campus in California, designed in collaboration with BIG. KPF, meanwhile, has recently broken ground on a new headquarters for T. Rowe Price in Baltimore.

Other airport schemes recently seen in our editorial include an Automated People Mover at LAX, a timber-rich expansion of Portland International by ZGF, and a $4 billion terminal at LaGuardia.