For Terminal 2 design: Airport gets 2 more honors

CEBU, Philippines —  The Mactan-Cebu International Airport has received back-to-back accolades for the design of its international terminal, Terminal 2.

The MCIA Terminal 2 is one of the winners in the Airports and Transportation Centers category of the 2019 International Architecture Awards, sharing the spot with Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 expansion.

The International Architecture Awards recognizes significant architecture and urbanism projects from around the world. It is organized yearly by the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, together with The European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd.

MCIA Terminal 2 was also shortlisted for the upcoming World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam, one of the preeminent architecture events globally. It will compete with Jewel Changi Airport of Singapore and the Istanbul Airport of Turkey during the festival this December.

MCIA Terminal 2’s most iconic feature is its undulating roof structure made entirely of glued-laminated timber, or glulam, from Austria. It is the first airport in Asia with a roof structure made entirely of Glulam. Three layer glass panels surround the terminal to keep the heat out during the day and minimize external noise from aircrafts.

MCIA’s Terminal 2 was designed by renowned architectural firm Integrated Design Associates Hong Kong. It opened in July last year.

"MCIA continues to be recognized globally not only because it embodies our positioning as a Filipino resort airport, but also because its design and quality of engineering allows us to deliver world-class service and operations,” said Louie Ferrer, President of GMR MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), the airport’s private developer.

Last year, MCIA received three awards, one of which was the Asia Pacific Medium Airport of the Year during the CAPA Aviation Awards for Excellence ceremony, one of the most respected awards in the airport and aviation industry.

MCIA Terminal 2’s airport bar, The Cabin Bar by London-based travel F&B operator SSP, was also named recently as Asia Pacific Airport Bar of the Year in the Airport Food and Beverage (FAB) Awards held in Dallas, Texas.

The awards recognize the best in travel food and beverage worldwide. The Cabin Bar is the first ever full bar operating inside an airport in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, GMCAC said the first phase of renovations to Terminal 1, the domestic terminal, will be completed by the third quarter of 2019.

With its own adapted resort-theme design, Terminal 1 will feature the much-awaited Airport Village, a brand new retail and F&B area for the enjoyment of passengers.

“We are continuing the transformation of MCIA this year with the renovations to Terminal 1 and the upcoming launch of our new Airport Village, which is scheduled to open in the coming months,” Ferrer said in a statement.

The domestic airport, Ferrer said, will also feature world-class local and international brands in retail and F&B, and “will provide a whole new level of dining and shopping experience for our passengers and their well-wishers.” —  JMO (FREEMAN)