Archinect - News

Airports as destinations in themselves

2019-12-30T19:10:00-05:00

The new breed of airports take that altered reality and alter it some more, to create their own version of the world. If you want to be dystopian, airports are prototypes for sinister societies of the future, products of the military-entertainment complex where dictatorial government colludes with big business to create controlling environments. Where individuals are pacified by distractions and ruled by technology.

The Observer's Rowan Moore takes a critical look at the newest global breed of airport architecture, including the recently opened Beijing Daxing and the brand new Singapore Jewel Changi, in the face of climate change, commerce, and mass surveillance.

"It is sometimes pointed out that a modern airport occupies the ground area of a traditional city and has a comparable daytime population," Moore writes. "With its shops and parks, and its settings for romance and afternoons out, Changi is taking on more of the functions of a city, too."

Zaha Hadid Architects' “starfish”-shaped Beijing Daxing International Airport is inaugurated

2019-09-26T17:00:00-04:00

Located in a region with the fastest growing demand for international travel, an expansion for the congested Beijing Daxing International Airport was much needed. Zaha Hadid Architects designed the newly inaugurated airport to meet the needs of the city's booming population and to be adaptable for future growth.

Aerial view.

Photo © Hufton + Crow.

ZHA drew from the traditional Chinese architectural concept of organizing interconnected spaces around a central courtyard for the 700,000-square-meter passenger terminal. Passengers are guided seamlessly through the respective departure, arrival, or transfer zones toward the multi-layered grand courtyard at the heart of the terminal.

Six flowing forms support the terminal's vaulted roof and let natural light into the space, ZHA says. Natural light also enters the terminal through a network of linear skylights “that provide an intui...

Massive tomb complex unearthed in Beijing suburb

2015-05-05T16:34:00-04:00

Archeologists have unearthed a massive tomb complex in a southwest suburb in Beijing, according to the Beijing Institute of Cultural Heritage on Monday. They said the complex is a rare discovery given its size, time span and location. The 70 hectare archeological site consists of 129 tombs built over 1,100 years, spanning from the East Han Dynasty (25-220) to Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Liao (907-1125).