The INDE.Awards 2025 continues to honour the most visionary achievements in architecture and design across the Indo-Pacific. With categories spanning the built environment, interiors, objects and photography, the awards highlight projects that push the boundaries of creativity, technology and sustainability.

The Influencer category, presented in partnership with Designer Rugs, recognises projects that shift paradigms and set new directions for design culture. This year’s winner, Enter Projects Asia in collaboration with SOM, exemplifies this influence through Terminal 2 Kempegowda International Airport Interiors — a project that reimagines how large-scale infrastructure can integrate nature, craft and innovation.

Enter Projects Asia, known for its groundbreaking work in biophilic architecture, designed and delivered the 12,000-square-metre departures area at Bengaluru International Airport. The project represents a bold departure from the sterile, corporate aesthetic often seen in global transport hubs. Instead, it celebrates organic form and material authenticity, creating a tactile and immersive environment that prioritises human experience and well-being.

Central to the design is the use of nine kilometres of handwoven biodegradable rattan, an unprecedented application of natural material at this scale. Crafted at Enter Projects Asia’s Bangkok factory, each section was meticulously handwoven before being shipped to India using custom-developed logistics software to ensure efficiency and sustainability. The result is a seamless fusion of technology and craftsmanship, a physical manifestation of how artisanal skill can coexist with digital precision.

The departures area integrates retail, hospitality and relaxation zones, offering a cohesive experience where structure and surface merge into one continuous expression. The rattan’s warm hues and organic geometry soften the monumental scale of the airport, bringing a sense of calm and connection to the natural world.

By recontextualising rattan — a material often associated with small-scale, resort-style applications — into a high-traffic international airport, Enter Projects Asia and SOM have challenged long-held assumptions about commercial design. The project demonstrates that plant-based, biodegradable materials can meet the demands of large-scale infrastructure while delivering exceptional aesthetic and functional results.

Terminal 2 Kempegowda International Airport Interiors stands as a testament to the transformative power of design grounded in sustainability, innovation and human experience. It not only enhances the journey of millions of passengers each year but also redefines the potential of natural materials in modern architecture.

Through this landmark achievement, Enter Projects Asia and SOM have set a new benchmark for global design influence, affirming their place at the forefront of the movement toward a more sustainable and sensory-built environment.

Photography
Nick Huffton