FLIGHTS OF FANCY

Words :: Will Jones // Images :: Nigel Young, Foster & Partners

Anyone would think big carbon footprints are a badge of honour, what with the frequency with which new airport buildings keep popping up all over the world. In the last twelve months Madrid, London and Bangkok have opened new terminals at major airports, and in the next year Indianapolis and Qatar, to name but two, will see a lot more activity in their skies. Beijing, however, is the big one, in more ways than one.
The city’s new international terminal is the world’s largest and most advanced airport building not only technologically, but also in terms of passenger experience, operational efficiency and sustainability. The terminal building and ground transportation centre enclose a floor area of 1.3 million square metres, and once fully operational it will accommodate an estimated 50 million passengers per annum by 2020.
For all this testosterone-inducing bravado, Beijing can be rightly proud of its new terminal also because it is beautiful – something not often said about airport buildings. Architect Foster and Partners has dubbed the terminal a “peoples’ palace.” Its soaring aerodynamic roof evokes the “celebration and poetry of flight” and Asian dragon-like forms. Using colours and symbolism that figure heavily in Chinese tradition, the airport creates a real sense of arrival in Beijing. It is the perfect jump-off point for competitors and spectators alike as they descend on China for the 29th Olympiad.
The terminal is housed under a single unifying roof canopy, whose linear southeast-facing skylights are not only a source of daylight but also act as direction markers – the colour cast changes from red to yellow as passengers progress through the building. It is a welcoming and uplifting place and a symbol of national pride that creates a thrilling spectacle. However, the new terminal also has to work properly – something the higher echelons at Heathrow Terminal Five should have thought about before opening a few months ago!
Beijing International Terminal is designed for maximum flexibility, to cope both with the unpredictable nature of the aviation industry and to iron out the complexities of modern air travel. It combines spatial clarity with incredibly high service standards. Public transport connections are fully integrated into the new building. Walking distances for passengers are short, with few level changes and great views outside, something that makes a surprising difference to the mood of travellers – remember that last trip, when you were stuck in some windowless cavern for three hours waiting to board or collect luggage after a flight?
Beijing’s new gateway to and from the skies is the latest in a clutch of new terminals – others include those at Madrid’s Barajas Airport and London’s Heathrow – that have been designed to be more than people-processors. They are airports for the new millennium, designed to excite those who pass through them and destined to become icons and visitor attractions in themselves. It is no wonder the green lobby can’t stop us flying.

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