Demolitions and Front of Terminal Upgrade November 4th 2014

TOWNSVILLE Airport is about to get a facelift.

The front of the terminal will be freshened up with vertical gardens, indigenous artworks, more seating, new shaded areas, bike racks and a water fountain.

The front facade of the terminal will also be painted as part of the upgrade.

Townsville Airport chief operating officer Kevin Gill said the terminal facelift was designed to improve the first impression of the city.

“We are very conscious that we are the gateway to the region so we are looking to modernist the front of the terminal,” he said.

“It’s really to create a sense of place and improve the appearance as you arrive at the terminal.
“We are looking to do what we can to improve the facility.”

The design of the refurbishment includes environmentally-friendly aspects such as a harvesting wastewater from the air-conditioning system to re-use on the gardens.

“As well as becoming more welcoming, the space will have some innovative and environmentally friendly design aspects such as the water catcher that highlight our commitment to sustainability,” Mr Gill said.
“We also now provide free Wi-Fi to passengers and we have created a kids’ zone in the main departures area to help parents entertain their children pre-flight.”

Mr Gill said work on the upgrade would start soon. “We are still finalising the cost but we anticipate that work would start within the next few weeks, probably sometime in August,” he said. “There has been a focus to use local suppliers because we are aware conditions have been challenging.”
Local landscape architects Vee Design were commissioned to undertake the project.

“It’s exciting to be part of this project which will be a great introduction to Townsville Airport,” Vee Design director David Heathery said.

“We concentrated on drawing the identity of Townsville into the design, to create a dry tropics feel in a functional space that also incorporates some innovative design.”