Inaugurated in late February, the Terminal 3 of Beijing's airport is the largest terminal in the world. This gigantic building combines both Chinese and Western styles and is signed Norman Foster.

In one word, the new Terminal 3 of the Beijing airport is impressive, and for good reason: it is the largest in the world. Opened on February 29^th, the building which required nearly four years of work and 1.77 billion Euros of investment, is part of the major projects established by the municipality to host the millions of tourists expected for the 2008 Olympic Games.

The Terminal 3 whose construction started on March 28, 2004 has been designed by the British architect Norman Foster who also designed  the Chep Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong. The building marries a western minimalist style with elements of Chinese culture. Covering an area of almost one million square meters, the shape of the building is reminiscent of a giant dragon, the legendary Chinese animal. Although seen from the outside, the two rounded domes with light green triangular skylights covered roofs recall turtle shells.

Once you are inside, all doubt vanishes. The dragon is omnipresent in the form of bronze statues, and carved on poles or on the white marble walls of the ground and first floors. In terms of tones, light and dark gray dominates on slabs of dappled marble, ceiling panels and displays, and mixes with opaque white walls, glass walls and pillars, signs on the other hand are navy blue.

50 Million Passengers

The framing of the large hemispheric windows and the framework of the roof are enhanced by traditional Chinese colors, which range from red to orange and yellow. These hot shades allow to differentiate between information and check-in counters with their vibrant red, as well as the 3D, 3E and 3F terminals.

The first hall houses the check-in desks for domestic and international flights, the domestic departures and the central baggage claim. It is also dotted by public telephones, grouped in batches of three, which offer an Internet connection in addition to the traditional telecommunications services. Near the check-in desks, machines used to scan passports and fingerprints are installed. The E hall is reserved for charter flights temporarily set up for the Olympic and Paralympic' Games. Finally, the third hall is reserved for international departures and arrivals.

Terminal 3 has a long, thin and aerodynamic flair to it. It is also connected by two parallel dark gray glass bridges to another white wing, this one flooded with natural light. Escalators and moving walkways lead to a parking lot and to the express train to downtown Beijing, whose station is still under construction.

This addition to the airport should help accommodate the 50 million passengers expected to come in every year by 2020, a big leap from today's 35 million. The moving in process will be done in two phases. During the first phase, only six airlines (two Chinese and four international) will officially move their operations to Terminal 3. Twenty other companies, mainly members of the Star Alliance and Oneworld, will follow from March 26.

Text: Aurélie Palancher
Photos: Wang Zhuo
March 2008