Kirsten Fordyce-Wheeler, Vice President, Director of Interiors, HOK, USA

Speaker Biograghy: Kirsten’s 25-year career in interior architecture has spanned four continents, leading design teams for aviation, commercial, corporate and healthcare projects. With a remarkable talent for working with clients to transform their vision into built reality, her projects combine extraordinary function, aesthetics and value. Having joined HOK in 2004, Kirsten recently returned to the San Francisco studio after a five-year assignment in Doha, Qatar, where she led the interior architecture and design of the Hamad International Airport, a new 6 million square-feet mega passenger terminal. Other aviation projects include new terminals for Salt Lake City International Airport and the Sydney Intercontinental Qantas. Kirsten has a unique understanding of the passenger experience needed for the successful airport of the future, balancing programme, function, cost and local culture. She received a Master of Design Science from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Design Science from the University of Technology, Sydney.


Day 2 - 11 March
Session: Airport Design, Planning & Development - Middle East & Asia

11:30 - 11:55 - Creating an ideal destination hub airport passenger/guest experience
Synopsis: Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar opened in the summer of 2014. It is largest airport that opened that year. This presentation will focus on the passenger terminal building and its planning and design. The focus will be on the enhanced passenger experience for origin and destination passengers as well as transfer passengers. The topics will include: OD (origin and destination) passenger experience, site location, departure experience from site approach road to plane, arrivals experience from plane to arrivals site road, transfer passenger experience, transfer security, short transfer/longer transfer, passenger amenities.

Audience will learn: