international airport

auckland

Auckland International Airport is New Zealand’s primary international gateway, processing high volumes of passengers through its airside departures, arrivals, and immigration areas. As part of a broader upgrade programme, Stephenson & Turner worked alongside Adrian Nancekivell to deliver interior environments that reflect a strong sense of place. Custom Carpets NZ designed and supplied Millitron printed broadloom carpet across key circulation spaces, designed to meet the extreme performance demands of an international airport while contributing to a distinctly Aotearoa design language.
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DESIGN INTENT

The project required a high-performance flooring solution capable of withstanding constant, heavy traffic — from luggage trolleys and suitcase wheels to stiletto heels and continuous passenger movement. Beyond durability, the design needed to address the experience of movement through long airport causeways, introducing visual focal points to subtly reduce the perceived distance of travel.
A low pile construction was essential to minimise drag on wheeled luggage, ensuring ease of movement across large spans. At the same time, the carpet needed to carry a clear and recognisable design identity, referencing Aotearoa through pattern and composition without overwhelming the space.
Process:

Outcome

The completed installation delivers a highly durable and functional flooring solution, tailored to the demands of international airport use. A restrained base design of tight, sketch-like grid lines creates a consistent and textural ground plane, balancing performance with visual interest.
Along the main causeways, the carpet is articulated through moments of pattern and composition, breaking the journey into more digestible segments and improving the passenger experience. At immigration, a four-metre-deep tukutuku-inspired pattern provides a strong point of arrival — a clear cultural reference that welcomes travellers into Aotearoa.
The result is a flooring solution that works hard at every level: operationally robust, acoustically supportive, and quietly expressive of place.

  • Stevenson & Turner Architecture

  • Carpet specified for extreme high-traffic public environments.

    Acoustic cushion backing to assist with noise reduction across large, hard-surface environments

    Single stick installation method for stability and longevity

  • Low pile, 630 gram dye-injected Broodloom

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