Following an international competition, MAD Architects, in collaboration with China Airport Planning & Design Institute and Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, has revealed the design of the Changchun “Longjia” International Airport Terminal 3 in China. The new building is expected to accommodate 22 million passengers per year. After completion, the 270,000 square meters terminal will become the largest transportation junction in Changchun city and the Jilin Province.
The new terminal building has a three-fingered corridor structure that brings passengers to the 54 aircraft gates. According to the architects, the image of the building takes inspiration from a floating feather, a nod to the airplanes ascending and descending from its terminals. The layout also helps create harmonious connections to the other two terminals while increasing the number of passenger seats near the gates. The large open ground floor provides direct connections to the subway, a high-speed rail station, and the automobile infrastructure.
The subway station hall is purposefully integrated into the central space of the terminal to reduce the need for transfers and to shorten the distance between the terminal entrance and the east expansion hall to less than 200 meters. Additionally, passengers also benefit from smart airport facilities, such as self-service check-in machines and smart security checks.
The terminal’s design is also influenced by the landscape surrounding Changchun city. The design team expressed the desire to create a “garden airport.” The indoor garden system integrates trees, ground covers, and water features to create a “cold zone garden” to reflect the local climate. Exterior spaces are also considered, with careful landscaping that creates lakes, meadows, forests, and undulating terrain.
The feather-shaped roof brings natural light and creates bright and warm interior spaces while also nurturing the garden spaces within. The structural system follows the flow of traffic throughout the airport, with height differences to reflect the cross-connections of different transportation modes. The center of the structure is marked with a large skylight that also helps with the orientation of the passengers.
Several other anticipated buildings designed by MAD Architects are currently under construction. The floating structure of the Aranya Cloud Center in Qinhuangdao, China, is nearing completion and is expected to open to the public later this year. Similarly, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park is starting to take shape and is scheduled to open in 2025.
Project credits:
- MAD Architects Team: MA Yansong, DANG Qun, Yosuke HAYANOLIU, Huiying, Kin LI, SUN Shouquan, SUN Mingze, SONG Minzhe, WANG Fei, LU Zihao, XIAO Yuhan, CHEN Wei, CAO Xi, Yoshio FUKUMORI
- China Airport Planning & Design Institute Team: MU Tong, YAO Huilai, FENG Xiangling, SUN Yongxue, YAO Yuan, XU Junjie, ZHANG Bao, ZHANG Yan, SHEN Xin, QI Junjie, HAO Wenjia, LIU Zihao, XU Ke, LI Zhennan, FENG Mengyao, LI Xiong, ZHENG Guangshun, SHEN Yi, LU Xin, LI Henghui
- Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Team: WANG Xiaoqun, SHU Weinong, WANG Yizhi, LI Shaokun, SU Yao, WU Di, WANG Yisu, WANG Bin, REN Jie, ZHANG Zhongqi, ZHANG Linyi, CHEN Lin, GU Xianliang, MU Yang, FAN Shixing, WANG Hanmo, ZHANG Shizhong, YU Xinqiao, ZHANG Shirui, PAN Ming
