Caticlan Airport
Can a tropical airport reflect the beauty of its surroundings?
In 2011, CAZA won an international competition to design the new Caticlan International Airport on Boracay Island, one of Asia’s most celebrated tropical destinations. As the first international airport built in the Philippines since the 1970s, the project represents a bold reimagining of airport architecture through modular, parametric design principles that connect visitors seamlessly to the island’s natural splendor.
Location
Caticlan, Philippines
Research Areas Parametric Design
Typology Transport
Size
Large
Status Complete
Project Team Carlos ArnaizLaura del PinoTzu-Yin WangJessy YangShelby Ponce
We consider each project on its own terms and develop tailored responses. Learn about our vision and mission.
The scheme organizes six interconnected structures—passenger terminal, control tower, fire station, hangar, administration building, and marine terminal—into a coordinated, metabolic system that responds flexibly to the needs of the site. The modularity of the components ensures adaptability and efficiency, while their light, relaxed structural expression evokes the ease of island life.
Instead of a sealed, enclosed terminal typical of airports, Caticlan Airport embraces the outdoors, integrating tropical ferns, native forest, and even a waterfall into the landscape. These green interventions embody eco-industrialization, actively mitigating heat, improving air quality, and ensuring breathable, resilient public spaces.
Our approach is strategically driven and informed. Click here to learn about our process.
By combining energy-conscious strategies, a modular and parametric structural logic, and an architecture that foregrounds Boracay’s unique ecology, the design creates an airport that feels like an extension of the island itself—serene yet alive, modern yet deeply rooted in its tropical context.
