My mom’s family is is in town these few days of our annual gathering in Singapore. As part of the program, we brought them to the Terminal 3 Open House for a sneak peek.
Construction was still going on in quite a lot of areas, especially in the transit area. But the guided tour we took for $3 (with all the money going to the Singapore Cancer Society) was comfortable and interesting.
I was very impressed with T3. Not so much from an aesthetics point of view (just because of personal taste) but for the way its design manages to incorporate aesthetics, functionality, technology and environmental friendliness. A few of the architectural features in T3 are the first in the world and would save a ton on energy. The list of interesting features is way too long for me to enumerate here, so just for highlights:
– Because glass is used as the primary means of partitioning, a person standing in the Departure hall outside the restricted area can see right through to the airplanes being boarded.
– The terminal’s roof has computer-controlled reflector sheets that follow the sun’s position to direct maximum sunlight into the building. Sensors activate in-house lighting only when sunlight is inadequate.
– Air-conditioning vents in areas where the ceiling is high are all placed less than 5 metres from ground level. That way, people are kept cool (because cold air sinks) and warm air rises to occupy the giant space from 5 metres up to the ceiling which remains un-chilled – resulting in huge savings on electricity.
– 100% real plants are used, most of which are on a self-monitoring system that triggers mist when the plants need more moisture. Automatic and low-maintenance!
If you’re interested in finding out more about the design of T3, visit the official website at http://www.changiairport.com/t3/. Better yet, if you have the time, pop by to the Open House before it ends on Dec 9! It’s only $1 for a self-guided tour of the restricted areas, but I think you’ll learn a lot more with the $3 guided tour.
I snapped some photos during the tour as well. Feel free to view the album by clicking on the thumbnail below!
Journey of the Heart 
i had the honour to talk to the engineer who was in charge of designing and building T3… he also participated in building T1…:D I’m proud of singapore and singaporeans
Really?! That’s so cool! When did you get the chance to talk to him?
his daughter was one of the exchange student in Toronto last year, you might have met her before.. so somehow i had a dinner with the both of them in Toronto :D
no kidding! :) I wouldn’t know if I met her… ha ha… I didn’t mingle with MSSA much last year. Too busy with concubines, remember? :P