Beijing Capital International Airport Expansion, Chaoyang District, China

With the forthcoming 2008 Olympic Games (the 29th Olympics) being held in China, and specifically in and around the capital city of Beijing, the Chinese authorities have been keen to upgrade their transport infrastructure to cater for the enormous influx of foreign visitors expected at that time.

Part of this upgrade has been the continuing improvement of one of China's largest airports, the Beijing Capital International Airport. Beijing Capital International Airport is the main international airport that serves the capital city of Beijing and is located around 20km to the northeast of the city centre.

The airport is the main hub of Air China, Hainan Airlines and China Southern Airlines. In 2004 Beijing became the busiest airport in Asia by aircraft movements ahead of Tokyo International Airport (Haneda).

In terms of passenger numbers, Beijing was the second-busiest airport in Asia and ninth-busiest worldwide in 2006. In 2006 the airport served over 48.5 million passengers and moved 1,028,908t of cargo with 376,340 aircraft movements.

FINANCE

The current airport expansion is largely funded by a €500m ($625m) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The loan is the largest ever granted by the EIB in Asia and the agreement was signed during the eighth China-EU Summit held in September 2005.

BEIJING AIRPORT FACILITIES

Beijing Airport opened In March 1958, and was the first airport in the People's Republic of China. The airport consisted of one small terminal building, which is still used for VIPs and charter flights. In January 1980, a newer, larger terminal building was opened, with facilities for 12 aircraft to dock.

In November 1999, the airport opened terminal two (designed by Ove Arup) as demand had outstripped the design of the previous terminal. In 2004 a new terminal one opened for the use of specific flights / carriers such as China Southern Airlines domestic and international flights from Beijing. Other airline's domestic and international flights still operate from terminal two.

Currently an even more ambitious expansion is underway and is scheduled for completion in time for the 2008 Olympics. This includes a third runway, another terminal and a rail link to the city centre. In addition two more expressways will be built to reach the terminal. Completion is scheduled for the end of December 2007 giving time for commissioning before the Olympic Games begin.

PROJECTS

The new 900,000m² third terminal at Beijing International Airport is one of the largest aviation projects in the world. The architecture, design and development team for the project includes Ove Arup, NACO, Foster and Partners and Davis Langdon. The third terminal will comprise terminal 3A which accommodates check in facilities, domestic departures and arrivals, and baggage reclaim facilities.

Terminal 3B and 3C (satellite concourses) will be connected by an automated people mover, accommodating international departures and arrivals. The rail linking the two areas is 2.5km long and one ride will take four minutes.

The airport is to be operated and managed by the Beijing Capital International Airport Company Ltd and regulated by Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The terminal is being constructed between the existing eastern runway and the future third runway.

The strikingly designed terminal, with a specialised shape lightweight aerodynamic roof, will eventually be able to accommodate over 43 million passengers a year (53 million by 2015). The hall of the terminal will have five floors above ground and two underground. Terminal three will provide 66 more aerobridges further complemented with remote parking bays which will bring the grand total of gates to 120 for the terminal alone.

BEIJING AIRPORT DESIGN

A luggage moving system will help passengers get their baggage up and down floors. The airport design is based on some of the aspects of Stansted and Chek Lap Kok in that it is designed for maximum flexibility with an open plan and light oriented feel (lots of skylights) and the ability to be modified and changed around if required.

The terminal will have an integrated transport system with few level changes. Its strength lies in its size and space and it is under one roof canopy which was designed to use as much natural daylight as possible for lighting and heating (south-east orientated skylights, which maximise heat gain from the early morning sun).

The two passenger terminal buildings will have a roof area of over 80 acres and measure 800m across at the widest point. The terminal will also have a state-of-the-art environment-control system (building management system), which will minimise energy consumption and carbon emissions as much as possible in day to day usage. The roof design, which has an uneven surface like 'scales' is designed to minimise energy loss in the winter and maximise cooling in the heat of summer.

The terminals will also have a very distinctive look because of the red and yellow skylights casting red and yellow colours inside during the day and giving the terminal a distinctive appearance at night. The construction will also make as much use as possible of local materials and labour. Started in 2003 it will be completed in late 2007 having taken just four years.

Project consultants include: the NACO Foster Arup Joint Venture (won a design competition in 2003 for the terminal), NACO (Netherlands), ARUP, Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and Research (BIAD), Michel Desvigne, Speirs and Major, Davis Langdon, BNP Associates Inc, Logplan GmbH, Reef UK and Design Solutions.

IT SYSTEMS

In January 2006 SITA was selected by BCIA to equip the new terminal three (T3) with passenger check-in platform, which will see the capacity of the airport more than double in time for the 2008 Olympic Games. T3 will more than double the airport's passenger capacity from 27 million to 60 million.

Mr Chen Guo Xing, chief commander of the BCIA expansion project, said: "As preparations for the 2008 Olympics intensify, we see a need to work closely with a partner who is experienced in handling such a large-scale project. We have worked well with SITA over the years and we are pleased to continue this partnership. We need a proven robust, reliable and secure system capable of handling the increased volume of passengers. Over the last few years, SITA's CUTE system has helped us to reduce check-in and boarding times in terminal two, and this has given us the confidence that their system is the best choice for terminal three."

The $10.8m contract covers the installation of SITA's common use check-in platform AirportConnect CUTE and will support up to 500 CUTE workstations at BCIA's T3A and T3B terminal buildings.

In addition, SITA will install and maintain BagMessage, the global message distribution system; and AirportConnect Platform Services, the next-generation multi-purpose operating platform for airports that 'virtualises' the connection between workstation, application and peripheral.

Elyes M'Rad, SITA regional vice president for North Asia and China, said: "We are delighted to be involved in yet another key Olympic project and to be working closely with BCIA to deliver a world-class system that meets the needs of the airlines and the airport. BCIA's decision to choose SITA to deliver an integral part of their IT system is further testimony to our ability to provide airports and airlines with secure, profitable and innovative solutions."

OUTSIDE CHARACTERISTICS

The exterior of T3 was determined by aircraft capacity. The site has a fixed width and the terminal design has to maximise the parking area for aircraft without extending the length of the buildings. Curving the sides of the two Y-shaped structures rather than opting for a right angle or a stepped corner significantly increases the usable ground area.

In addition following the advice of a feng shui expert the entrance to the terminal reaches out into the surrounding landscape, as if to invite passengers arriving via the road and rail links into the building.

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