The only airport of Tripura, Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, Agartala, is soon going to have a new integrated terminal building. As the existing terminal building was saturated and there was no further scope of expansion, the Airports Authority of India has undertaken the work at an estimated cost of Rs 438 crore.
With built up area of 30,000 sqm, the new terminal building will be equipped with 20 check-in counters, four passenger boarding bridges, conveyor belts and passenger-friendly modern facilities and amenities. The terminal has been designed to process 1,000 domestic and 200 international passengers during peak hours, making the annual handling capacity of 3.0 million passengers. The development work also includes construction of the apron having capacity to park six aircrafts at a time.
The terminal building of the airport will depict local art and heritage through its architecture. The design manifests sweeping roof profile that envelopes the entire airport terminal spanning across 30,000 sqm and procures its form from the hilly terrain of the state of Tripura. The objective was to create an overall free flowing terminal which is simple and easy to construct, while being a perfect mix of ecological infrastructure, art and building technology. Advanced Intelligent Building Management Systems have also been used to optimise the consumption of energy.
The planning approach for the terminal is based on airport procedure and passenger flow, integrated with landscaping and retail to increase user experience and at the same time ease the movement in the building. Bamboo is used as a widespread local material in the state for construction whereas tribal art work and crafts are included to promote cultural tourism. The art and craft work is displayed all over the terminal in form of sculptures, jaali work, furniture and murals.
Jaalis are an eminent functional design feature, which can be seen in traditional households as well as in royal forts and palaces. It restricts excessive solar radiation and permits optimum daylight to increase internal efficiency. Along with their use, skylights have also been introduced in the design to maximise the natural daylight within the building.
Further, bamboo architecture is represented in the façade of the terminal building by way of a floral jaali pattern depicting the forests and greens of the region, placed equidistant from each other. Depiction of local motifs in metal cladding will create vibrancy while showing the glimpse of the local art to the passengers.
More than 90 per cent of the project work is completed and new building of AAI’s Agartala airport is scheduled to be ready by the beginning of next year — 2021.
