Massimiliano Fuksas: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport

[Coyett]

Fuksas cleared for take-off after contest to design Chinese airport
18 April 2008
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?...000000014ad45a

Leading Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas has won a global competition to design a £1.2 billion international terminal for Shenzhen airport in China, beating practices including Foster & Partners, Foreign Office and Japan’s Kisho Kurokawa.

The airport’s proposed terminal 3 will be 400,000sq m and wrapped in a single roof canopy, made with a patterned, double skin of steel and glass.

Speaking to BD, Fuksas compared his design to a “piece of music”.

He said: “The services are within the double skin. It has a steel structure, which is much better than concrete, it’s easier to control.

“The glass is clear. There are depressions, skylights... it’s like a piece of music, like a wave.”

The main terminal building will be built on three levels, each with a separate function: departures, arrivals and services.

Voids in the departure area on the upper floor link the levels, and allow natural light to reach the lower floors.

From above, the check-in area of the terminal ressembles a manta-ray, according to the architect.

Fuksas said: “I wanted to give the feel of a manta fish moving. After [travelling through the check-in area] you go through to a piazza, where you can have a coffee. The interior design is very important.”

The project will be built in three phases. The first phase, due to be completed in 2015, will include the creation of the 63-gate terminal; the second phase will create a rail link to the terminal, and the third phase, which will not be finished until 2035, will expand and complete the terminal.

When terminal 3 is finished, Shenzhen will be the fourth largest airport in China, behind Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.








images: dezeen.com