BEIJING’S NEW AIRPORT TAKES SHAPE

With its steel structure now complete, progress on Beijing’s new international airport terminal is racing ahead. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), the vast project was announced in early 2015 following an international competition held in 2011. Currently unnamed, the 313,000-square-meter development is being constructed to ease the burden on the Chinese capital's existing airport, which is currently operating at full capacity.

New construction images, obtained by Xinhua, show the enormous scale of the airport, which will initially accommodate 45 million passengers each year. However, the Chinese news agency reports that the scheme has been designed to handle up to 72 million passengers and 2 million tonnes of cargo annually by 2025. Developed in collaboration with ADP Ingeniérie, ZHA’s design groups the site’s activities around a central hub with six ‘piers’ radiating outwards.

In addition to minimising distances between check-in and gate, this configuration also allows for the site’s future expansion. The airport, which is expected to open in 2019, will also include an integrated travel centre offering direct links to Beijing’s city centre, local rail services, and the country’s high-speed train network.

Images by Methanoia © Zaha Hadid Architects
Video courtesy of New China TV