Imbibing Culture In Design

Project: Expansion of Integrated Terminal Building at Varanasi Airport, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

With a rich cultural and religious heritage, Varanasi is the holiest of the seven sacred cities of India. The project brief listed out an additional terminal building adjacent to the current integrated terminal building. For the same, various options were listed out and it was decided that the existing terminal building would be left as it is, with a small section of the building serving as a domestic terminal while the new one would be developed wholly for domestic functions.

The planning of the new terminal building aims at effective vertical segregation of functions to promote ease of passenger movement. The arrival areas along with the bus lounges are planned on the ground floor of the building, whereas the departure areas are planned on the first floor. A flyover connecting the city side of the departure terminal of the new building has been proposed to enable efficient circulation and without disturbing the movement in the existing terminal. But the building is not planned in segregation entirely; it is also internally connected to the existing building through bridges overlooking landscaped courtyards thus making the entire project in sync with the overall development.

The offices are placed on the mezzanine floor with the arrival corridor, along with the day stay area for the passengers, and child care areas to increase the amenities and usability of the terminal building.