The highly anticipated new terminal at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Guangdong, China opened on November 28 following three years of work by acclaimed Italian architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas.
Terminal 3 more than doubles the capacity of the existing airport, which is located 32 kilometres north-west of Shenzhen's city centre, with an estimated 45 million passengers a year expected to pass through it.
Studio Fuksas looked at the shapes of various living creatures when planning the layout of the complex. "The concept of the plan for Terminal 3 of Shenzen Bao'an international airport evokes the image of a manta ray, a fish that breathes and changes its own shape, undergoes variations, [and] turns into a bird to celebrate the emotion and fantasy of a flight," said the architects.
A curving roof canopy constructed from steel and glass wraps around the airport. Hexagonal skylights perforate the surface of the roof, allowing natural light to filter through the entire terminal.
This is the first airport by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, whose previous projects include Foligno Church in Italy and the Lycée Georges Freche school for hotel management in France. The architects are now working on two further extensions to the airport, which are expected to be completed in 2025 and 2035.
The client, Shenzhen Airport (Group) Co., is taking the unusual step of trying to copyright the striking design.
The airport is set to become an iconic landmark that will boost the economic development of Shenzhen - one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.
