Understanding Beijing’s ‘Weird’ New Airport Design

So Beijing’s new airport is happening, and it’s going to be incredible. The building won’t be without challenges, though, and Zaha Hadid Architects and ADPI believe that the key lies in the structure of the airport.

It’s shape “is the most compact way of aggregating aircraft around the gates” Cristiano Ceccato told the Fast Company. The structure ensures that the airport isn’t so big that you miss your flight trying to get to it. The central space is perfect for security, shopping and dining, while narrow corridors ensure maximum number of spaces for flights.

Keeping the airport compact means there is no need for transport between different terminals, a huge money saver for the airport authorities. This does however mean that people have to walk further, but avoiding huge open spaces leads to the feeling that you’re walking less far than you actually are, the architects say.

As with any of Zaha Hadid’s buildings in China, there has been criticism that the designs are lacking in Chinese characteristics. However, fear not, as this airport’s design is not only perfectly compact and efficient, as China Daily reports that the airport’s harmonious composition also successfully represents (5,000 years of) China’s rich and flowing history. Of course it does.

We are willing to accept a slight touch of irony in the plans to build this Flubber-like airport, considering a ban on outrageous structures has just been implemented. Perhaps China’s “Wave of Weird Architecture” has not peaked, as the New York Times has suggested. In fact, we secretly hope the best is yet to come.

More stories by this author here.

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Photo: DesignBoom