The Danish architecture bureau “BIG” has unveiled its design for Bhutan’s Gelephu International Airport. The airport is still in its concept stage and expected to open in the late 2020s.
It is a reflection of Bhutanese cultural heritage and sustainability, featuring timber-frame structures inspired by the traditional “Kachen” pillar, with expandable modules, which are designed to allow for disassembly and assembly as needed.
Well if that airport DOES get built, it’s gonna be a pain for the IFAET team to model
This airport going from a mere concept to fully operational in less than 5 years is crazy.
WoW! Its beautiful.
I mean if the renders don’t lie (which they often do) it would be very beautiful. Perhaps IF can make a unique model for it.
But I’m still skeptical for the final build. The renders look fabulous though.
That is wow… beautiful! Like Cwaker said, it would be interesting to get 3D in IF.
That is absolutely stunning. I love the lofted geometric design - just amazing.
Will this replace PARO
If I had to guess, not fully. Gelephu is in the South of Bhutan (like less than a mile from the Indian border), far from the population centers (Paro and Thimphu, the Capital of Bhutan). It’s a nearly 7 hour drive, according to Google Maps. It would make sense for Bhutan to want a bigger gateway airport, since tourism is booming there (it rose a whopping 145.49% last year). My educated guess would be that Gelephu would become the primary international airport for Bhutan, where everyone arrives initially, then people would connect onto A320s or ATRs to the existing Paro Airport. If Gelephu extends their runway, and because there’s no significant terrain around the airport, they could theoretically accommodate 777s or A330s, which could make visiting Bhutan a lot easier.
