The airline's catering centre alone will have a total space of 300,000 square metres with a capacity to produce 50,000-80,000 meals per day for THAI and 50 other international airlines.

The operations centre will cover a space of 20,000 square metres, while the Technical Department's facilities will have a space of 40,000 square metres, excluding aircraft hangars. The Cargo Department will have an office space of 10,000 square metres plus combined warehouse space of 90,000 square metres.

All these buildings and the huge workforce will consume a massive amount of energy, especially electricity and fuel oil, according to Chokchai Panyayong, THAI vice president for project development.

Hence energy-saving measures have figured prominently in the airline's designs for all these facilities. For instance insulation and double-glazing are widely used in all the buildings to shield heat and reduce power consumption by the air-conditioning and other systems, which will be managed by intelligent building-automation software. These buildings are also designed to avoid direct sunlight until late afternoon.

The concept of power co-generation has been adopted as well, in cooperation with PTT Plc, the Electricity generating Authority of Thailand and the Provincial Electricity Authority. The combined use of natural gas, electricity, steam and chilled water for power generation and air-conditioning is expected to reduce the energy bills by as much as 50 per cent.

To reduce waste and pollution, the airline has adopted the ISO 14000 standard for hydrocarbon and other wastes. For instance its vehicle-maintenance unit is equipped with a suction system to reduce pollution from exhaust smoke and other toxic waste. In addition more than 1,000 electric vehicles will be used inside the airport to replace petrol- and diesel-powered ones.

The Catering Department, which will have a massive amount of daily waste, will systematically separate its waste for recycling and for sale to the animal-feed industry.

In terms of arts and cultural heritage, Chokchai says the airline has commissioned Ajarn Preecha Thaothong of Silpakorn University and a group of 10 top Thai artists to produce about 500 original paintings and sculptures. These will be displayed at the new THAI head office, first-class lounges and premium check-in counters.

A budget of Bt400 million has been set for the overall interior design and decoration, with a significant portion earmarked for indigenous artists. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the THAI head office and related facilities truly represent the airline's corporate identity and Thailand's cultural heritage.

The Suvarnabhumi head office is situated at a central intersection inside the airport and designed as a landmark building with the use of massive glass sheets that reflect the blue sky, similar to the airline's headquarters on Vibhavadee Rangsit Road.

For the interior, the theme of Suvarnabhumi, which means the "Golden Land", will be prominent and extend to feature the cultural heritage not only of Thailand but also of neighbouring Southeast Asian nations. For instance there will be a three-dimensional art gallery highlighting the region's culture.

The airline plans to distribute educational booklets to visitors on the pieces of art and Thailand's and the region's historical and cultural background so as to promote its corporate image and the national image and encourage tourism.



 Nophakhun Limsamarnphun