Beijing’s New Airport, tipped to be the largest airport in the world, is scheduled to open for operations in 2019.
The airport, which cost a whopping 80 billion yuan (RM47 billion) to build, is designed in the shape of a giant flower and is located China’s southern Daxing district — and will put the SkyTeam alliance under one roof.
Designed by world-renowned architect, the late Dame Zaha Hadid
Famous Iraqi-British architect, Zara Hadid aka Queen Of Curves (in building terms), was tapped to design the Beijing New Airport Terminal Building before she passed away in 2016. No, she’s not related to Gigi and Bella Hadid.
It will include her signature innovative futuristic aesthetics, and filled with civic gardens as well as separate passenger areas for international and domestic flights to create a more compact building and reduce travel times.
“The overall symmetry of the airport terminal design, together with its flowing, interconnected forms, create a fluid composition which evokes the harmony and balance evidence in Chinese landscapes, while its colors and materials are an expression of visual language within traditional Chinese culture,” states Zaha Hadid Architecture’s website.
Innovative design features within the new 700,000 square-meter terminal will include a central hub with six curved spikes with walkways that connect to one point to make navigating the terminal easier. (Take note, KLIA 2!)
Meanwhile, the initial opening phase of the airport will have four runways, while two later phases will lead to additional areas that can push the airport’s capacity to 100 million passengers a year. Construction is also taking place on a high-speed railway station that passengers will be able to use to get the airport.
