One of Australia’s largest architecture practices has been chosen to lead the design of a multi-billion-dollar terminal that will expand airport capacity in the Western Australian capital of Perth.

Last week, Perth Airport announced that it has appointed Woods Bagot to lead the design of its New Terminal project.

The Australian architectural firm will collaborate with a global consortium involving 24 practices to carry out the project’s design.

This includes architectural firm Architectus, Scandinavian design firm the Nordic Office of Architecture, engineering firm WSP, project management firm Mott McDonald, sustainability consultants Cundall and Klaus Bode Consultancy along with several local Western Australian-owned businesses including Indigenous Employment Solutions, UDLA (landscape architecture) and Artify (art consultancy).

Set to open in 2031, the terminal is part of a $5 billion program to expand the airport’s capacity.

The expansion will consolidate flight services into one area and will help the airport to cater for an expansion in passenger numbers, which are projected to increase from 16 billion to 20 billion by 2030.

The New Terminal project will include an expansion to the international terminal and a new domestic terminal. These will seamlessly connect with Terminal 1 – allowing passengers to cross between new and existing facilities.

The new terminal will be serviced by the METRONET Airport Central Station, which opened in 2022 as part of the Forrestfield-Airport Link railway construction project.

The decision to proceed with the airport’s expansion followed last year’s signing of a twelve-year agreement between Perth Airport and Qantas.

That agreement will see Qantas and its subsidiary Jetstar relocate to the new terminal when it opens in 2031.

The new terminal will support the growth of international services for airlines at Airport Central – which will form a centralised location within the airport for seamless integration of regional, domestic and international flights.

It will also allow Qantas to realise its Western Hub vision. Through this initiative, the airline will position Perth as its second most significant operational base after Sydney and will add 4.4 million seats in additional capacity by the time the new terminal opened in 2031.

Perth Airport’s CEO Jason Waters welcome the latest announcement, saying that the appointment is one of the most important contracts to date in the airport’s expansion program.

“It’s an ambitious project that will deliver new terminal and airfield facilities at Perth Airport with a footprint equivalent to almost 30 Optus Stadium playing fields,” Waters said.

“The floor space in the terminal alone will be three times the size of the floor space of the Perth Convention centre.

“The new terminal facilities will reflect a modern, vibrant and dynamic Western Australia and will provide passengers a world-class experience.

“While acknowledging our past and reflecting our present, Perth’s New Terminal will be a bold statement of the confidence Western Australians have in the future of their State.”

Woods Bagot CEO Sarah Kay said the project has brought together a high-quality design team to deliver an iconic piece of infrastructure.

“The Perth Airport expansion is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a world-class first impression of Perth. We’re honoured to be a part of a design legacy which will connect Perth with the rest of the world,” she said.

 

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