TWO Philippine airports have, so far, brought renown to Philippine design and infrastructure: Clark International Airport (CRK) — a finalist in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Architecture and Design Awards recently — and Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 2, which has garnered multiple international design awards since opening in 2018.

Both projects have been designed through the partnership of Philippine infrastructure innovator Megawide Construction Corp. (Megawide) and Hong Kong’s Integrated Design Associates (IDA). Both MCIA and CRK carry the signature glued-laminated (glulam) timber roof structure.

Airport architecture inspired by natural Philippine landscapes

The concept of each terminal has been inspired by the natural landscapes of the locale. For Mactan-Cebu Terminal 2, the overall concept has been inspired by the warmth of the people and the place. Cebu is a famed beach destination. So, the airport’s roof structure is shaped like the island’s soft, undulating waves.

CRK’s roof structure pays homage to the peaks and valleys of the mountain ranges in Zambales, which includes Mount Pinatubo as well as Pampanga’s Mount Arayat.

Megawide Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Edgar Saavedra says the company’s commitment to the vision of a first-world Philippines is conveyed in the concept and execution of these airports.

Saavedra says Megawide had not been interested in building the typical, modern-looking airports made of steel and glass.

He explains, “There’s so much inspiration to take from the Philippines in terms of architecture. That’s how we can set our international gateways apart and elevate our infrastructure.”

Saavedra adds: “We always seek to keep our structures as honest as possible. This is a term that Winston Shu, our architect for MCIA and CRK, used to describe our design philosophy. When we say honest, we mean we don’t have to paint or clad or embellish a building too much. As much as possible, [we] keep it bare and clean. This complements the glulam roof structure very well and allows it to stand out.”

Glulam: Binding technology, innovation

Together with Hong Kong’s IDA, Megawide has pioneered the use of glulam timber in the Philippines for the iconic roof arches of MCIA and CRK.

IDA’s Principal Architect Winston Shu has revealed that Clark Airport’s roof is probably the largest single roof built of glulam in the world.

He points out that “despite the arches reaching different heights, they are modularly the same in span and details.”

The arches of CRK vary between 12 meters and 16 meters. The central arch reaches 20 meters in height with a span of 30 meters.

Shu says: “At the height of 20 meters, or about eight stories, CRK has a taller and larger roof line than that of the MCIA, which is another awardwinning collaboration between Megawide and IDA. CRK effectively has the highest airport roof arch in the Philippines.”

“CRK’s roof area spans close to 50,000 square meters (sqm) and used around 7,000 cubic meters (cu m) of glulam,” Shu adds.

Meanwhile, MCIA Terminal 2 is the first roof structure in Asia with a full timber roof structure when it is completed in 2018. It has about 4,000 cu m of glulam with arch heights of about 15 meters. The entire roof has an area of about 24,000 sqm.

Shu further explains how the aesthetic of the timber roof complements Megawide’s other technologies such as precast, saying,“The building design adopts a construction process that optimizes the use of lightweight timber roof, precast concrete [and] modular repetitions to overcome the risks of typhoon, earthquake [and] tropical weather, ensuring the project can be completed on time and within budget.”

Among the world’s best

With the recent success of CRK at Unesco’s Prix Versailles, it joins MCIA as one of two internationally acclaimed Philippine airports. MCIA Terminal 2 has received back-to-back design awards from the prestigious World Architecture Festival in 2019 and CAPA - Centre for Aviation in 2018.

In all, Saavedra shares Megawide’s pride in helping deliver the government’s vision of first-world transportation infrastructure in Clark and Cebu.

Saavedra says, “They are among our signature executions, and it is the company’s singular honor to deliver these kinds of projects for the nation that every Filipino can be proud of.”