The largest and most extensive global architecture awards program in the world hailed Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 as the 2019 International Architecture Awardee for Airports and Transportation Centers. This awarding body organized by Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies honors new skyscrapers, commercial buildings, urban plans, private residences, and real estate projects that achieve high standard of excellence in design. The jury for IAA 2019 was held in the Department of Architecture Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Vilnius, Lithuania.
The projects presented were judged on the following criteria: design vision, innovation, engagement, accessibility, and sustainability. The design of MCIA Terminal 2 was led by Hong Kong studio Integrated Design Associates and supported by local firm Budji Royal and award-winning industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue. The “World’s Friendliest Resort Airport”, has a unique undulating timber roof which is inspired from the rolling waves of the island of Cebu as “symbolic gateway of the Philippines”.
MCIA Terminal 2 is the very first airport in Asia to use glulam for its roof structure in order to form the roof curvature. These arches span every 30 meters which made T2 column-free. Through this, the framework creates a largely open interval volume which is filled with natural daylight by glazed sections at either end and by skylights running along the apexes of the roofs. The trussed skeleton of the arches is left exposed on its underside, resulting in the project’s unequivocal centerpiece – a ceiling of curvilinear glulam beams, almost cathedral-like in its soaring quality, meant to evoke the hull of a boat. The design truly evokes the Filipino’s well-known warmth and hospitality – also seen in the enhanced use of check-in desks that are lower than the regularly used in other airport; so as to promote visibility and interaction between staff and customers.
Terminal 2 is the country’s first product of public-private partnership project which began operating last July 2018. The GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation is also currently modernizing Terminal 1 which still caters domestic operations. Upon completion this year, GMCAC commercial advisor Ravishankar Saravu stated that MCIA is expected to accommodate 16 million passengers per year. The international airport is home to 9 local and 19 foreign airlines with direct connections to 29 domestic and 22 international destinations.
