Left: The winning design from Yi Chang Liao
Fentress Architects has announced the winners of its fourth annual international design competition, the Fentress Global Challenge.
This year’s topic was ‘Airport of the Future’, with entrants asked to submit proposals of what an airport terminal building might look like in 2050. The company received 122 entries from around the world including Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Australia.
The competition was judged by aviation experts Daren Griffin, David Tomber, Michael Landguth, Curtis Fentress and Matt Honegger. They assessed each submittal according to design, technology, sustainability and the passenger experience. In the end, a proposal from Yi Chang Liao claimed first place and a prize of US$15,000 and an internship at Fentress. A proposal from Silvanus Andi Saputra, Kevin Ridge Rahardja and Ryan Ridge Rahardja claimed the second place prize of US$3,000. Third place and a prize of US$2,000 were awarded to Grant Wylie and Mahta Nazari Khoorasgani.
The submittals included a range of innovative ideas such as airport sites on the frozen tundra or floating at sea, facilities that feature new security processing options and travel pods, and even ideas where commercial aircraft take off and land vertically.
Commenting on the proposals, the judges said, “The winning proposals were creative, attractive and compelling. They reached into the future, but not so far in the future as to make them unbelievable.”
