Renowned Pinoy designers offer free makeover of NAIA-1

Three Filipino designers on Wednesday unveiled on Facebook their “pro-bono proposal" to rehabilitate and renovate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1. Budji Layug, Royal Pineda, and Kenneth Cobonpue, all world-renowned in their respective fields of architecture and design, uploaded a video outlining their proposed makeover of NAIA 1.

A screen grab of the proposed NAIAA 1 makeover.

World's worst airport “It’s time someone did something about the worst airport in the world," they wrote in the description that accompanied the video, which was posted on Cobonpue’s Facebook community page. The proposal was created in cooperation with the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines, a public-private task force formed in 2006 to spearhead efforts for the Philippines to enter the top third of competitiveness rankings by 2016. Recently, NAIA Terminal 1 made headlines after a travel website named it the “worst airport in the world" for 2011. The “New NAIA Terminal Design," according to the video, will be an “urban oasis," that will be reflective of the country’s “festive atmosphere." “This plan is relatively inexpensive and simple to adapt. The plan also involves renovating the interiors to allow faster flow of travelers through security, immigration and departure," according to the video. Key features of the proposed design include a four-lane roundabout for travelers to be picked up and dropped off, a multi-deck parking building for visitors and a commercial complex within airport grounds. [See entire video of proposed new airport design here] “We believe that no matter how beautiful our country is, our airports give the first and last impressions," the designers said. The public’s response to the proposal has largely been positive, with nearly 700 “likes" on Facebook. The three’s message to the Aquino government: “The first step has been done. Let’s hope our government moves on this proposal quickly." — with Bea Cupin/VS, GMA News