Case Study of Changi Airport,Singapore

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Photo courtesy of Amplusnet SRL
Singapore, a physically small yet an economic giant country, located at the tip of the Malay
Peninsula. Its geographical location is between the longitude of 103 degrees 55’ East and latitude
of 1 degree 14’ North (Pearson, 2000). It has well known to be Southeast Asia’s most modern
city over a century. This country includes the island of Singapore and 58 or so smaller islands.
However, the capital city which also called as Singapore, covers almost a third of the area of the
main island.
Singapore is often publicized as a concrete jungle with close to 90% of its population
staying in flats and an ever-changing skyline of monumental buildings. Due to its efficient and
firm government, Singapore has become a prosperous country which excels in trade,
communications and tourism. Over the time, it progresses into a model to developing nations.
Yet, Singapore has also been known as a green city because there is a wealth of flora and fauna
in this country.
Besides that, Singapore’s climate is warm and humid. Thus, this makes it ideal to welcome
both leisure and business travelers year round. In addition to that, Singapore’s first-rate
infrastructure also enables visitors to enjoy its sites and attraction in a safe, clean and green
environment. At this point, except the train and subway systems, award winning Singapore
Figure 1: Location of Singapore
Introduction

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airport does play an important role in providing transportation airlinks to major cities around the
world.
Photo courtesy of The Real Singapore
Singapore airport, which also known as Changi airport is one of the main airport in Asia. It
was officially opened on 29th
December 1981 and built mainly on the reclaimed land near where
originally the World War II Changi airbase had stood. Changi airport is located about 20
kilometers from the city center. It is the main international airport offering air transport services
to Singapore and is currently regarded as one of the top airports in Asia, due to the number of
passengers moved. This airport serves more than 100 international airlines flying to some 250
cities in 60 countries and territories worldwide.
Photo courtesy of Singapore Airport
Changi airport has three passenger terminals with a total annual handling capacity of 66
million passengers. When the airport first opened, only Terminal 1 was operational. On 22nd
Figure 1.1: Exterior of Changi Airport
Figure 1.2: Interior of Changi Airport

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November 1990, Terminal 2 was made operational and opened officially on 1st
June the next
year. Terminal 2 is much larger than Terminal 1 but both provide similar services which
including the passenger transactions and transit, restaurants and shopping areas.
Following that, Terminal 3 commenced operations on 9th
January 2008. Hence, its ability to
handle such big amount of passenger movements has been recognized. Besides that, Terminal 4
which currently being constructed is targeted for completion in 2017. The Budget Terminal, that
opened to serve budget airlines, was closed on September 2012 to make way for the construction
of Terminal 4. In addition to that, Skytrain was provided for the convenient of passengers to
travel between the terminals.
Photo courtesy of Adhir Kirtikan
The 16-sided, 78-metre Control Tower, sitting on a polygonal shaft server not only as a
necessary air-traffic control unit but also becoming a key icon representing the Changi Airport.
Travelling along the highway towards the airport, one can see the use of a wise and unique
landscaping and plants hide the ancillary buildings. The greenery continues to penetrate through
the entire airport with the planter boxes and landscaped pools within the terminals.
Due to its perfect achievements in different aspects, Changi Airport has won many awards
and accolades, most often the “Best Airport in the World”, a title which given by various
organizations such as Airport World, Business Traveller and OAG Worldwide. More recently in
March 2014, Changi Airport was once again named the World’s Best Airport for the fifth time
and for the second consecutive year at the 2014 Skytrax World Airport Awards.
Figure 1.3: A Panaromic view from Changi Airport Terminal 1

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Photo courtesy of Soumya
Terminal 3 in Changi Airport, its interior space is a ten-storey volume, with four functional
levels arranged around a huge sky lighted atrium, where its base is the space for the arrival hall.
Its design is not merely just on its decorative accent. However it’s about its own
sustainable design and also the green design aspect in the building itself. Changi Airport has
perennially named as the best or next best in the world, which had raise the bar and a new
different level for excellence in design and to create a monumental iconic first point of entry to
the nation-city.
The team has successfully integrated the building design, the interior design, and the
landscape design into a cohesive whole. The team in making the Changi Airport project
successful has achieve their main goal which is by using landscape element in the design itself as
an architecture element. Besides, they had also successfully developed a unique and outstanding
landscape design that is most importantly appropriate to the scale and function of the building.
Detailed Information
Figure 2: Exterior view of Changi Airport Terminal 3

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Photo courtesy of Tariq Mahadin
Some of the main design feature that make Changi’s airport become one of the most
prominent and green design is the roof and rainforest canopy that is built in terminal 3 that uses
an intelligent and brilliant system that enable natural daylight to penetrate in the interior space of
the building, maintain the heat and thermal inside the building and creates an overall soothing
and comfortable ambience for the users.
Photo courtesy of Tariq Mahadin Photo courtesy of Tariq Mahadin
Apart from that, the lush green walls in the airport had also become one of the most
prominent design. And other green feature design of this building is also its façade design on the
elevation that helps regulating the heat of the sunlight ray and minimizing most heat to penetrate
in the building. Changi’s airport is located in one of the busiest hub in Asia, which has also been
reclaimed from the sea.
Figure 2.1: ‘Butterfly-winged’ skylights in Terminal 3.
Figure 2.2: Green walls in Terminal 3. Figure 2.3: Close up view of green walls.

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In all words, Changi Airport had been awarded in the Green Mark building for its design,
which is the Green Mark Gold. The marking criteria for the Green Mark Award is based on the
energy efficiency, water efficiency, environmental protection, indoor environmental quality and
other green features and innovations.
Figure 2.4: BCA Green Mark logo.

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Site Plan
Figure 3.1: Location of Changi Airport.
Figure 3.2: Zoom in version of the site.

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The design concept of Changi’s airport is to establish a green environment for the interior
space, which is in accordance to the nation’s vision – ‘City in a garden’.
And also to design it with environment concerns, the impact, reinforcement and also its
sustainability. Other intention of this design is also to establish and create an interior
environment where planting is not just for some decorative or accents but is also for the purpose
of architecture.
Design Concept & Innovation
Photos taken from the book “Changi Airport, Singapore”

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The Changi Airport is themed as garden and had boost a dramatic display of variant vibrant
colors and interactive technology which had brings Changi Airport to a higher level.
Design Concept & Innovation

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Images Of Changi Airport
Butterfly Louvres
Vertical Green Wall Features
Natural daylight is
modulated through
butterfly louvres
before it enters the
building.

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Thermal Analysis -Temperature
Based on the research from BBC Weather, Singapore is characterized as a country which
having uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity and abundant rainfall due to its
geographical location and maritime exposure.
Research shows that the average temperature of Singapore is between 25 degree Celcius
and 31 degree Celcius. To be more details about it, Singapore usually undergoes a minimum of
23 to 26 degree Celcius and a maximum of 31 to 34 degree Celcius.
Photo courtesy of Weather Forecast.com
As shown in the Figure xx, Changi Airport is situated at the eastern side of Singapore.
Based on the research, eastern side of Singapore is drier and slightly hotter than western
Singapore. Hence, it is clear that the temperature at the exterior of Changi Airport is much higher
than the temperature of its interior spaces. Direct heat is transferred from the sun to the ground.
Climate Data
Figure 3.1 : Location of Singapore Changi Airport

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Photo courtesy of Wordpress.com
However, efficiency of design strategy of Changi Airport helps in reducing its interior
temperature. In its high volume spaces, the usage of air-conditioning is thermally stratified.
Besides that, its intelligent building management system also interface with the flight schedule,
controlling the switching on and off of lights and air-conditioning in the dedicated gate-hold
rooms upon the departure of passengers. Furthermore, Terminal 3’s most outstanding feature-
unique “butterfly” roof architecture allows soft natural light enter into the airport while keeping
the tropical heat out. Thus, reduction of energy used in the interior of Changi Airport and internal
thermal comfort can be easily achieved due to their smart design strategy.
Humidity
Rainfall can be said is almost an everyday phenomenon in Singapore. Hence, it is classified
as a country with high level of humidity. Its level of humidity differs from more than 90% in the
morning and falls to around 60% in the mid-afternoon when it does not rain.
According to the reports by National Environment Agency (2012), the average relative
humidity level of Singapore is 84.2%. However, generally there is much more rainfall on the
western side of Singapore than the eastern portion of it. Since Changi Airport is situated at the
eastern side of Singapore, this means that Changi Airport has a lower humidity level compared to
the other region in Singapore.
Figure 3.2 : High volume interior spaces of Terminal 3

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From the diagram and chart shown, we can see that the wind flow is mostly from the NNE
and SSW direction throughout the year. The average wind speed is usually 5-7 knots every
month. And the temperature is from 28-30 degree celcius a year. The month February will have
the highest wind speed which is 8 knots. The average wind speed at Changi Airport will be
higher because of its site context and location which is located near the sea which has a greater
wind impact. Besides, the wind humidity is also higher compare to Singapore city central due to
its location which is nearer to the sea.
- Graph retrieved from - http://www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/singapore_changi
Wind Analysis

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The Changi Airport Terminal 3 is located close to the Equator. This means that the amount
number of hours gained at day and night are equal. The terminal 3 roof structure was designed by
SOM which are very sophisticated. The orientation of the building plays a very important role in
the design of the building taking in consideration of the sun path.
The above diagram shows the building orientation with the North point indication. The East
and West side of the building receives the most sunlight throughout the entire day. The design of
terminal 3 north, south and west facades are typically supported in a uniform grid of steel truss
framing. The mullions varying between 6-18 metres in height are composed of high tension rod to
increase the inertia for longer spans. The tension rods are also used as sun shading louvres.
Sun Analysis
Figure 8.1: Site Plan with North Point

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The mechanically designed and operated sun-protection louvres are designed by Bartenbach
are caliberated to move with the sun’s angle. These louvres are made of perforated aluminium
panels.
This diagram shows the sun path of Singapore. With the maximum light penetrating the
building, the roof was designed to be cantilevered out with the double-glazed glass coated with
low-E material. The cantilevered roof reduces the admittance of the heat gain from the sunlight
even at a very low angle of the sun; ie. 1600 to 1800 at gmt+8.
Western sun orientation Eastern sun orientation
Figure 8.2: General sun path in Singapore.
Figure 8.3: Sketch of the cantilevered roof against the sun.

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Ecotect Simulation Analysis
Figure 8.4: Time-0800 1st
April.
.
April.
.

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The Terminal 3 airport is designed in a way that the sun orientates at at the South-East to
South-West façade of the building. The cantilevered butterfly roof of the terminal provides
shading not only to the wall of the building but also internally which reduces the heat and glare
from the sun. The orientation of the building matches very vell with the design of the terminal
roof also with the help of the vertical louvres that are places on the Souh-West façade of the
building for evening sun.
Ecotect Simulation Analysis
April.
.

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The Changi Airport Terminal 3 architecture design has a maximal openness and
transparency, which enables to the introduction of light into spaces deep within the terminal. The
most impactful feature of the Terminal 3 is the roof, followed by the green vertical wall.
Passive Design
Lighting consultant Bartenbach LichtLabor conducted a study and was determined to an
optimal way of dappling natural light into the terminal building. Then the parabolic reflectors were
introduced in the design. It is then placed before the butterfly louvres. The massive long span flat
roof is dotted with 919 intelligent skylights, illuminating the interior of the terminal completely
with natural daylight. Studies had proven that the terminal will be lit by natural daylight up to 8
hours daily with or without the presense of cloud. The terminal 3 exploits the lightweight
advantage of the bondek roof system. The metal bondek sheets are secured to the top of the trusses
and topped with a layer of lightweight concrete which will then reduce the load on the columns.
Analysis of Passive Design – Pavilion Concept
Figure 10.1: Roof of Terminal 3, Changi Airport, Singapore.
.

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The most perceptual magic that the terminal 3 roof promises is the perforated aluminium
butterfly louvres that sits above the skylights. These louvres are adjustable in relation to the sun’s
movement by a computer system. When strong winds are detected, the mechanism will close the
butterflies. During cloudy days, the louvres will be opened entirely to allow the maximum rays of
lights into the terminal. The aluminium louvres can also be flapped down to form a plane surface
which acts as a secondary roof. Each skylight comprises a roof opening sealed with a pure crystal-
type glass that admits the full spectrum of colours from the natural daylight into the building.
Butterfly Louvres
Figure 10.2: Butterfly Louvres on the roof.
.

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When the sunlight is filtered through the butterfly louvres, the light then comes to the
parabolic reflectors. The reflectors are fitted like sleeves into the vertical surfaces of the skylights.
These reflectors projects a glare-free sunlight to enter the terminal at an angle of 45 degrees. At
certain point of the terminal, cut-off reflectors are fitted for additional glare control.
This is the diagram which explains the theory on how does a parabolic reflector work. F is
the focal point which represents the source of light from the Sun and the blue lines represents the
direction of the light rays. The reflected rays will then be gently shined to the terminal hall.
Parabolic Reflector
Figure 10.3: Illustration of the Parabolic Reflector
theory.
.
Figure 10.4: Parabolic Reflector openings on ceiling panels.
theory.

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In this system used in the roof of Terminal 3, the usage of parabolic reflection is applied
onto the panels shown above. With the same theory, the parabolic curve is not seen on the
surface of the panels.
The long cantilever roof of the change airport in terminal 3 is another element into the green
roof feature. At both West and East side of the airport, the cantilevered roof is extended longer
than the other. This is due to the sun orientation or sun rise and set.
The material used for the cantilever roof is the double-insulating glass. These glass are
manufactured with glass thickness at 3-10mm per piece. Double insulating glass are separated by
a spacer which separates the two glass panels in order to seal the gas space between them.
Manufacturers make the spacers (usually10mm) a less heat conductor to reduce the heat of the
sealed air. Besides that, these glass are coated with low-E which admit 65-70 percent if visible
daylight and reduces the thermal heat to only 35 percent.
Low-E Glass Cantilever Roof
Figure 10.5: External View of Terminal 3 Changi Airport.
theory.
.

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Low-e coatings was built to minimize the amount of ultraviolet and infrared light that can
pass through glass without compromising the amount of visible light that is transmitted. When
heat or light energy is absorbed by glass it can be either shifted away by moving air or reradiated
by the glass surface. In general, highly reflective matierals have a low emissivity and dull darker
colored materials have a high emissivity. The cantilevered roof radiate heat in the form of long-
wave, infrared energy depending on the emissivity and temperature of their surfaces. Reducing
the emissivity of one or more of the window glass surfaces improves a window’s insulating
properties. For example, uncoated glass has an emissivity of 0.84, while PPG’s solar control
(Solarban 70XL) glass has an emissivity of .02.
This is where low emissivity or low-e glass coatings come into play. Low-e glass has a
microscopically thin, transparent coating. This coating is much thinner than a human hair that
reflects long-wave infrared energy (or heat). Some low-e glass also reflect significant amounts of
short-wave solar infrared energy. When the interior heat energy tries to escape to the colder
outside during the winter, the low-e coating reflects the heat back to the inside, reducing the
radiant heat loss through the glass. This helps into maintain the rate of heat loss and heat gain in
the terminal.
Figure 10.6: Chart analysis of the Low-E glass coating.
theory.
.

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To use a simple analogy, low-e glass works the same way a thermos does. A thermos has a
silver lining, which reflects the temperature of the drink it contains back in. The temperature is
maintained because of the constant reflection that occurs, as well as the insulating benefits that
the air space provides between the inner and outer shells of the thermos. The silver low-e coating
reflects the interior temperatures back inside, keeping the room warm or cold.
Temperature are being reflected while sunlight is able to pass through the low-e glass of the
terminal roof.
Figure 10.7: Illustration of the effects of Low-E coating on the glass.
.

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Image & graph source from http://educationcenter.ppg.com/glasstopics/how_lowe_works.aspx
According to the graph above, ultraviolet light, which is what causes interior materials such
as fabrics and wall coverings to fade, has wavelengths of 310-380 nanometers when reporting
glass performance. Visible light occupies the part of the spectrum between wavelengths from
about 380-780 nanometers. Solar infrared is commonly referred to as short-wave infrared energy,
while heat radiating off of warm objects has higher wavelengths than the sun and referred to as
long-wave infrared. This will then reduce the terminal temperature fluctuation.
Figure 10.8: Graph of the light transmittance against the wavelength in nanometer.
.

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The journey of the light does not end just yet. The flip-flops are designed in a set of fixed
module which is then repeatedly used under the entire stretch of the roof. These flip-flops are held
up by high tension steel cables which are secured from the bottom of the roof trusses. The flip-
flops are made of perforated metal which gives the ceiling a soft character. The architect wanted
to create the ‘cloud’ feeling towards the passenger’s perception when looking at the lights
bouncing above them.
Flip-Flops
Figure 10.9: Flip-Flops as ceiling inside Terminal 3 Changi Airport.

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The landscape of the Terminal 3's interior space as a continuation of the overall exterior
airport gardens. The landscape architect, Tierra Singapore wanted this to make things visible
through the wide and tall glass 'skin' of the building. The green wall is a perfect example of how
vertical planting could significantly affect overall interior ambience with small footprint in plan.
Green Wall
Figure 10.10: Green wall at luggage collection in Terminal 3 Changi Airport.
Airport.

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The green wall is made of 120 metre long lattices which are linked together. The
straightforward orthogonal grid allows a manageable framework for the green wall to be filled
with a mix of foliage vines and bromeliads.
Double-layer cable support system planting system was introduced by sandwiching fiberglass
planting troughs. Stainless steel beams cantilevered from the wall support horizontal I-beam
modules with fiberglass. Twining vines on cables in singular containers are easily removed and/or
replaced by hand, without mechanical fasteners. The vines are pre-grown in pots that are already
creep up to 3-metre long stainless steel cables at 4mm diameter. The vines grows at both the front
and back of the lattices.
It is a major challenge when sufficient amount of natural sunlight is needed into the green
wall to allow plants to undergo the photosynthesis process. The minimum number of 1000 lux is
needed for the growth of the plants, which is sufficient for the top part of the green wall. For areas
that did not reach the amount of lights were given aid by using perforated metal for the catwalks
to allow sunlight to come in from the top. The other source of light is to use artificial light to boost
the lux level.
Green Wall
Figure 10.11: Exploded axonographic illustration of the green wall system.

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This image shows that the viens are planted and grow from the planter box and creeps on the
cable. Vanda Miss Jaoquim (Orchid) is vastly used as the plants in the green wall system as it is
the national flower of Singapore. With light that comes in, heat gain demands become higher.
Due to glass weak insulation propertiesit is a major contribution to thermal heat gain. As such,
the terminal 3 glass used are the low-E glass and also double glazed.
Green Wall
Figure 10.12: Green wall seen in the Terminal 3 with live plants held up by gutters.

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The north and south facades of the terminal 3 hall are much reduced facades as the piers are
joined to the main building structure. Vertical perforated aluminium sunshades are extended most
at the east and west sun.
The major part of the terminal roof which has higher percentage of plants is not closed or
blocked by the flip-flops in order to have maximal light emittance. The position of the palm trees
are also placed is a very high significant presence of natural sunlight.
The impact of in terminal 3 is an interior environment subject to stringent controls for
human comfort.
Green Wall
Figure 10.13: Sketch of the roof theory in Terminal 3.

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Appendix
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Average Temperature Graph for Singapore
Max.temperature Min.temperature
Resources from BBC Weather
Figure 11.1 : Graph above showing the average temperature for Singapore. By referring to the
graph above, we can conclude that the average temperature of Singapore is between 25
degree Celcius and 31 degree Celcius.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Average amount of rainfall for Singapore
Figure 11.2 : Graph above showing the average amount of rainfall for Singapore. Based on
the chart above, we can conclude that July is the warmest month and December is the wettest
month.
Resources from BBC Weather

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Figure 11.3 : Chart above showing the direction of wind flow and average wind speed of
Singapore. From the diagram shown, we can see that the wind flow is mostly from the NNE
and SSW direction throughout the year. The average wind speed is usually 5-7 knots every
month. The month February will have the highest wind speed which is 8 knots.

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singapore
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References

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http://thebettermousetrap.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/why-changi-airport-t3-is-the-first/
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3Atierra-design-changi-airport-terminal-
3&catid=87%253Alandscaping&Itemid=14&lang=en
19. (2014). Wind & weather statistics Singapore Changi, viewed 7 May 2014,
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BCI_Green_Design_Award_2010.pdf

Case Study of Changi Airport,Singapore

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