Introduction
Kansai International Airport in Osaka, Japan is one of the largest airports in the world located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay. The airport serves over 13 million international passengers in one year and it handles over 100,000 flights in one year. The airport is managed by the Kansai International Airport Company which was established in 1994 to oversee the construction and maintenance of the airport.
The total amount used to construct the airport amounted to 15 billion dollars because of the various technicalities that had to be considered when constructing an international airport on an artificial island. The airport’s main designer was world-renowned architectural designer Renzo Piano from Genoa, Italy whose architectural design was viewed to be both transformational and unique (Mahwhinney 2001).
The concept of building an airport in the Kansai region of Osaka emerged when the area began losing a lot of its trade business to Tokyo and Yokohama. The planners in Kansai proposed the introduction of a new airport that would boost the trade levels in the region thereby improving the economy of Kansai. This idea was supported by the Japanese government and many investors as Osaka International Airport could not be expanded any further given that the location where it was based was densely populated.
The construction of Kansai Airport was also supported by a majority of the public as well as foreign investors who saw the airport as a gateway to improving the economic development of Osaka and Kansai. Because the residents of Kobe rejected the idea of having an airport built within their city, the investors of the project opted to build Kansai Airport on an artificial or manmade island that was located in the southern parts of Osaka (Dempsey 2000).
Architectural Design of the Airport
As identified in the introductory part of this essay, the main designer of Kansai International Airport was Renzo Piano who first visited the manmade island on a boat. He gained his inspiration when designing the airport’s terminal from the wings of a plane where the terminal’s corridors would resemble the stretched wings of an airplane. The whole design for the main building stretched out nearly 700 meters from either side of the main building which made the terminal to be the longest in the world.
While Piano had confidence in his design, several challenges presented themselves such as whether the project was feasible and buildable given that it was going to be constructed on an artificial island in a region of Japan that was prone to many earthquakes and typhoons (Edwards 2005). The picture below represents the boarding lobby at Kansai International Airport which has been noted to be the longest in the world.
The piano was however able to design a piece of architecture that would withstand any natural calamities and it proved to be feasible as well as buildable on the artificial island. His conviction that the project was feasible was further supported by the confidence various investors such as the European Union had in him when they awarded him the commission for building the airport. However, there was the challenge of getting approval for the construction of the airport from the Japanese government because the Japanese fire codes could not allow a building that large to be built on an artificial island. Piano and the rest of his design team had the challenge of basing their work on principles by minimizing the length and weight of materials that would be used in constructing the airport terminal and runways (Edwards 2005).
Various aspects had to be taken into consideration during the design engineering process of the Kansai main terminal building. These aspects included the practicality of the building where the amount of human traffic that a terminal could handle in a given day had to be considered, the economical cost that would be incurred for purchasing earthquake-resistant construction materials, and the technical knowhow that would be required to construct an earthquake-resistant airport on an artificial island.
The piano was able to take all these aspects into consideration which enabled him to create a building that had shifting joints that would provide much-needed support during an earthquake or typhoon. While considering the operational aspect of the terminal he also incorporated aesthetic aspects when he added an elegant and flowing design to the main terminal. Piano’s design was created on the belief that the building had to reflect the movement of passengers from land to the air and vice versa by offering a visual connection that would link the two aspects. This belief drove the use of transparent glass panes that would offer passengers a glimpse of the runway and the surrounding regions of Osaka and Kansai (Edwards 2005).
Piano also gained inspiration for the terminal’s design from the concept of flow where he created an internal environment that would be controlled by a single micro-climate to reduce the roof load. This was viewed to be one of the many safety precautions taken while designing the terminal to ensure that it was resistant to high magnitude earthquakes. The design team opted to install sculptural air supply nozzles that would supply air against the curved ceiling of the airport’s main terminal.
These sculptural air nozzles would circulate the air 80 meters within the terminal thereby creating a micro-climate for the various areas and sections within the main terminal. The use of these air supply nozzles was meant to make air conditioning indiscernible to the passengers, giving the airport a more natural and outdoors feel (Fairweather 2004). The diagram below represents a diagrammatic representation of the shape of the airport terminal’s roof which is determined by the flow of air within the terminal.
The huge wing-like structures of the airport terminal were designed to support the movement of international and domestic passengers to and from the airport’s departure and arrival gates. These structures would also be able to accommodate 41 airplane bays and passenger moving systems such as trolleys within the airport terminal. Piano wanted to incorporate a geometrical design for the terminal’s wings to provide a sightline for the control tower for the many planes that were taking off and landing in the airport. This explains why the wing-like structure was designed in a down and away from fashion from the main terminal of the airport (Fairweather 2004). The diagram below depicts a model of Piano’s wing-like design for Kansai Airport’s terminal
Design Theories and Concepts
The architecture according to various design theories is the art that embodies the knowledge of space and form to create functional building designs. It is also defined as the theoretical framework that is used to support the design of a piece of architecture or building. There are various design theories and concepts that are currently in use to explain the meaning of architecture in the construction world and also the meaning of architectural styles and movements. The theories that are commonly used to explain architectural designs include modernist design theories, postmodernism design theories, and contemporary theories of architecture.
The modernist design theory of architecture was first introduced during the early 20th century by works such as the Unite d’ Habitation which is found in Marseilles, France. The architectural design of modernist designs was mostly based on designing buildings that were spacious and had structures such as floors, walls, windows that incorporated the use of space. This theory involved designing a building in a simplistic format devoid of any decorations or ornaments to frame it in a natural world context while at the same time incorporating the contemporary contexts of architecture. Such a combination made the theory to be referred to as machine versus nature because it incorporated these contexts within its design (Salingaros and Mehaffy 2006).
The postmodernist theory of architecture on the other hand was introduced during the 1970s and it integrated the heavy use of ornamental, sculptural and decorative elements into the buildings. The theory had some elements of the modernist design theories but these were heavily influenced by decorative and inadvertent angular designs. As the theory advanced to a more modernist view, the buildings incorporated more sculptural designs which were a demonstration of the new lines of movement in the architectural world. The postmodernist theory evolved to incorporate more sculptural designs and ornaments which were evident in works such as the Guggenheim Museum in Spain.
The contemporary theory of architecture which was introduced during the last 20 years involved the use of conceptual thought processes and insights to create architectural designs that were both contemporary and modern. The contemporary theory of architecture is rooted in post-modernist design principles which mostly comprised of architectural designs that had ornaments and decorations. These three design theories of architecture have continued to evolve over the past decade, an aspect which can be attributed to the level of the discussion held amongst the various theorists, architects, and designers on the effectiveness of a building’s design (Hays 2000).
These design theories are subject to change based on the general reaction to a particular architectural design. These reactions are used to signal the evolving nature of design theories when it comes to architecture as newer and more elegant pieces of architecture continue to emerge around the world. The application of design theories into real architectural design is usually done on the aesthetic and practical aspects of the design. Hays (2000) uses an example of the straight lines and limited decorations that exist in today’s modern buildings to represent the modernist theory of architecture. The spacious appearance and the floor plan of many of the buildings around the world reflect the theory of modernism in architectural designs.
About Kansai International Airport, the design theory that has been incorporated into the architecture is the modernist design theory. This is mostly attributed to the fact that the terminal building and the concourse corridor are made up of space and structural elements such as glass panes and extended floor plans which have added a touch of modernism to the building’s design. The lack of ornamental structures and decorations also means that the design of the building prescribes the modernist design theory.
Piano prescribed to the creation of a building that would have both aesthetic and practical characteristics. The use of curvaceous forms and two-dimensional geometry was meant to reduce the ecological impacts the architecture of the terminal would have on its surrounding environment. Piano focused more on creating a structure that had more natural imagery rather than ornamental designs and sculptures to capitalize on the modernist theory of design.
According to Edwards (2005), the use of space and light as the natural imagery and decoration of the airport was meant to infuse a tectonic experience in the architectural design of the main terminal. The use of structural elements such as columns, beams, lantern lights, and sculptural air ducts was meant to reflect the modernist view and theoretical application of modernism design theory.
Another aspect that demonstrated Piano and his designers incorporated modernist theories was the use of animated key routes throughout the airport terminal where different forms of structural elements were incorporated at every zone to demonstrate the use of hierarchical levels. The design plan for the main terminal incorporated the use of rationalistic structural thinking and also professional clarity which was vital in creating a building that would portray the modern view. Piano’s creation of the axis of movement in the concourse was meant to signify the various stages of the international passenger’s journey which was at times interrupted by the public concourse, otherwise known as the canyon (footbridges used in the airport) which was present at the landside part of the terminal (Kuiper 2010).
Built Form and Typological Characteristics
Edwards (2005) in his evaluation of the structural design of the airport noted that the terminal offered a sense of direction to the more than 25 million passengers who used the airport in a year. This, according to him, was mostly attributed to the orderly nature of the design plan created by Piano and also how the various spaces within the airport had been developed in their own unique and distinctive way.
For example, Edwards noted that the public canyon within the terminal had been designed in a solid and earthy way to represent the natural qualities of the terminal. While the colors used in the canyon represented traditionally or postmodernist architecture, the departures lounge and the airside wing of the terminal represented lightweight aeronautical overtones and expressionist technology which was a general indicator of modernist design theories (Edwards 2005).
The clarity that existed in the airport was mostly derived from the undulating roof and glass-paned walls which reflected the importance of accommodation within the airport’s terminal. The wave-like profile of the roof provided a certain form of symbolism as it distinguished itself from the traditional patterns of separating the domestic and international flights within airports. The geometry of the roof as well as the four different floor levels within the terminal have ensured that the single building handles all flights in the airport whether domestic or international without resorting to any separation or divisions within the airport.
Piano’s design for the terminal placed a lot of emphasis on the creation of a public concourse that would minimize the level of confusion that might have arisen through the use of a single multifunctional terminal (Edwards 2005).
The public concourse, also known as the canyon was designed as a four-story street that would be used by passengers as a crossing to the departure and arrival lounges within the KXI terminal. The canyon at the third level of the terminal was meant to serve international passengers who were departing from the airport while the first-floor crossing bridges were designed for passengers arriving on domestic flights. The ground-level canyons were designed for international arrivals which were a perfect structural design as they enabled the passengers to experience the magnificence of the airport’s space immediately after they landed.
The main idea behind Piano’s design of the canyon was to create a sense of direction and movement within the airport as well as giving passengers a sense of belonging within an airport terminal thereby going against the general perception of terminals which is that of placelessness (Bachman 2003).
The general design of the departures lounge was wider and more rounded when compared to that of the canyon or public discourse which was mostly rectangular and vertical in structure. The lighting in the departures lounge was mostly from the curved windows which offered a view to the runway while that of the canyon came from the lights fitted on the roof of the terminal. The general ambiance in the departures lounge was private and reserved when compared to that of the main terminal as passengers prepared to depart from the airport which was mostly demonstrated by the spacious design of the waiting lounges (Edwards 2005).
The geometrical roof design was primarily determined by the line of sight that was needed by the control tower to spot airplanes when they were landing or taking off. The type of geometry that was used to develop the roof was toroidal geometry which involved placing a rotating two-dimensional object on a circle that was inclined to create a structural design that was curved. The toroidal geometrical design of the terminal’s roof was able to save the investors of the project a lot of money as it enabled the construction team to standardize all components of the ceiling and the roof so that they could form a repetitive pattern throughout the entire length of the building. This saw the shape of the terminal’s roof resembling an airfoil which would enhance the circulation of air within the building (Fairweather 2004).
The lighting used in the terminal was mostly reliant on daylight because of the transparent glass panes installed on the walls that made up the terminal. The use of natural lighting within the terminal ensured that the airport had a low energy requirement which would be maximized for nighttime operations. This was meant to allow the flow of natural light into the terminal to prevent the need of using electricity or other sources of illumination such as solar power within the airport. The use of crystal clear glass in the elevators and the various spaces in the main terminal was meant to provide passengers with a natural and elegant environment where the passengers could be able to see the runways and plane stands (Edwards 2005).
Piano designed the air ducts in the airport to also act as light-reflecting panels that would further enhance the experience of the passenger and also reduce the roof load of the main terminal. At the far side of the departures lounge, the huge glass wall offered passengers a view of the airport stands and also to the runway. Passengers could be able to view planes landing and taking off as they waited for their flights in the departures section of the airport (Fairweather 2004).
The topological characteristics that made this piece of architecture important were the scale, complexity, engineering prowess, and technological expertise that was used to create the building. All this combined with the fact that the airport was built on an artificial island made this marvel of architecture receive worldwide recognition. When considering the typological characteristics of the building, Piano envisioned a structure that would be easy to use and navigate for the many passengers that would use the airport and its facilities daily (Fairweather 2004).
Evaluation of the Scheme and Public Reactions
Kansai International Airport which was opened in 1994, was a structure designed to display the emergence of a new generation of airport architecture in the world. The actual construction of the airport began in 1987 with the construction of the main terminal commencing in the year 1991. Piano’s design was brought to life by thousands of workers who brought the paper design of the terminal to life. This was after various adjustments to the manmade island had been done to ensure that it could withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, and typhoons which were common in Japan (Fairweather 2004).
The result of Piano’s vision was a four-story building known as the KIX passenger terminal which extended over a whole length of 300 meters from the main terminal building of the airport. This was described by many architects and structural designers to be the longest airport terminal in the whole world. The two distinct experiences that passengers had in the airport were the canyon or public discourse and the departures lounge. This was mostly attributed to the fact that they did not resemble the conventional structures used by many airports around the world. The canyon and the departures lounge offered the millions of passengers to the airport with an undeniable experience where architectural design integrated natural aspects to create elegance and eccentricity (Edwards 2005).
To prevent the whole airport from collapsing due to seismic activities in the Pacific, the structural engineers from Arup as well as seismic experts from the Japanese government were incorporated into the project so that they could find a way of preventing the manmade island from sinking. The team proposed the use of a jack-up system that would raise and lower the individual column piles holding the island so that it would be able to handle billions of tonnes of weight from both the airplanes as well as the thousands of passengers that use the airport daily (Fairweather 2004).
After the construction of the airport was complete, seismic building regulators from the Japanese government checked to ensure that it had met all the requirements for building construction in Japan after which it was opened for operations.
During its first year, the airport experienced a major earthquake in January 1995 with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Ritcher scale. This was seen to be a major test for both the jack-up system supporting the island and the sliding joints used to prevent the terminal from collapsing. These two features were to prevent the artificial island and the terminal building from collapsing or sinking as a result of the earthquake. The main building was able to survive the earthquake without any form of destruction and the glass windows and ceiling remained intact during the whole duration of the earthquake (Fairweather 2004).
Three years later after the Kobe earthquake, the Osaka region faced another natural calamity this time in the form of a typhoon. The airport and its buildings were able to survive the typhoon which had violent wind speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour. Its durability and stamina demonstrated that the design scheme used to construct the airport was reliable and relevant to the typological characteristics of the Kansai area. It is now a decade since the airport was opened up to the public and the major reaction from the general public is that Piano’s design has proven to be a success both aesthetically and also operationally. The simple elegant design of the airport compliments the movement of passengers throughout the entire airport (Fairweather 2004).
With regards to public reaction, various passengers commented on the structural design and architecture of Kansai Airport. One passenger commented that the terminal building was beautifully designed and it never appeared to be crowded even when it was full of international passengers. Another passenger who was gauged on their reaction to the airport’s general design commented that it had a light airiness which was possible because of the sculptural air duct systems installed within the airport. Many passengers appreciated the practicality of the airport as it enhanced the smooth flow of passenger traffic from the airport while others noted that it had a full proof structure that would cushion them from any natural calamities as witnessed in 1995 and 1998 (Fairweather 2004).
Conclusion
This discussion has focused on the architectural design of the Kansai International Airport and the designer of the airport, Kenzo Piano by assessing his architectural ideas for one of the world’s largest airports. The research made an in-depth analysis of the various concepts and ideas that were used in designing the airport as well as the inspiration behind the design of Kansai Airport. The research also looked at the various design theories that are used in creating pieces of architecture and which scheme of design the Kansai Airport prescribed. The built form of the airport as well as the typological characteristics that had to be considered when designing the airport were also examined in depth during the discussion.
The final section involved evaluating the durability and practicality of the airport so far where it was ascertained that the airport and its terminal buildings were able to withstand earthquakes and typhoons which are a common occurrence in Japan. In summary, the Kansai International Airport is a piece of modern architecture that has embodied all aspects of elegance and practicality. Kansai Airport is a work of marvel created by one of the greatest architectural designers in the world, Kenzo Piano.
References
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