A first-of-its-kind ‘airport terminal in a garden’ has opened in India, welcoming its first international passengers.

Terminal two at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR Airport) has turned the typical terminal aesthetic on its head, with the help of landscape architects Grant Associates.

The new terminal pays homage to Bengaluru’s “garden city” heritage, with flora sourced from multiple diverse ecological habitats in India, including 600 – 800 year-old trees and over 180 rare and endangered species.

Over 7,700 trees have been transplanted from the existing airport to now feature in the garden, with over 600 endemic plants to create what Andrew Haines, senior associate at Grant Associates calls a “biodiversity hub.”

All of the plants in the terminal garden are being maintained through an automated irrigation system fed by harvested rainwater, designed to reduce the terminal’s environmental impact.

To create a garden-like environment Grant Associates have sourced natural materials including bamboo cladding and local natural stone for the hard landscaping features.

The centre piece of the garden is a 10-metre-tall green wall that covers the length and breadth of the terminal, designed to feature over 450 plant species.

Haines goes on to say: “Bengaluru has always been known as the Garden City of India, and our goal was to provide our city’s residents and visitors with an experience that feels like a stroll in a park.

“The airport not only boasts of one of the widest varieties of plant life in one location, but also helps to conserve many rare, endangered and threatened species.”