Hong Kong International Airport expanded its capacity in March with the opening of its new HK$10-billion Midfield Concourse. The complex has 20 aircraft parking stands and the capacity to handle up to ten million passengers a year.
At the heart of the passenger experience of this terminal are two enormous glass artworks commissioned by the Airport Authority. The glass features are made up of a total of 114 3m-tall glass panels, each 22mm thick and weighing 285kg. The glass artwork was manufactured in Germany by the celebrated Peters Studio.
The artist, Graham Jones, an international designer of glass artworks, described the 40m-long blue departures feature as a representation of sky as the new ocean.
"It is my vision of that thin skin of air that encircles our world – which is now the ocean through which we travel to all parts of the globe," he says.
As they emerge at the top of the two rising escalators, the passengers find themselves immediately in front of part of the glass, able to inspect it at close quarters and feel its rippling, sinuous texture.
As they cross the bridge to go up to the main concourse floor, they suddenly see the 30m-long arrivals artwork. This feature is made up of brilliant red and yellow swirling colours. Jones says: "This is my view of Hong Kong – a vortex of dynamic energy spreading across the globe."
The project was organised by the London-based glass-art consultancy Andrew Moor Associates, which entered the Airport Authority’s international competition three years ago with a specialist team in place.
