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July 9, 2008 6:39:24 AM CDT

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Beijing Opens Giant Air Terminal

Posted Feb 27, 08 11:25 AM CST in World,  Arts & Living    Most Covered

(Newser) – Ahead of this August's Olympics, Beijing is set to open a new airport terminal that has been billed as the world's largest building. Designed by Norman Foster, who also designed Hong Kong's airport, the new Terminal 3 was built in only 4 years and, unlike many buildings in China, incorporates environmental control systems to minimize energy consumption, writes the Independent.

The 2-mile-long terminal is topped by a sloping golden roof with skylights that invoke the raised scales on a mythical dragon's back, letting natural light into the public spaces. "The orientation of the roof means you have a directional flow," said a lead engineer on the project. But for all its beauty, Terminal 3 has a less palatable flipside: it highlights the increasing air traffic that petrifies environmentalists, anticipating the effects of China's growing carbon footprint.

Source Independent (UK)

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A worker makes a phone call near jet ways in the new Terminal 3 building at Beijing Airport Tuesday Feb. 26, 2008. The terminal, which opens Friday, is a centerpiece project for the 2008 Olympics and...   (Associated Press)
Security guards walk past windows during preparations at the new Terminal 3 building at Beijing Airport Tuesday Feb. 26, 2008. The terminal, which opens Friday, is a centerpiece project for the 2008 Olympics...   (Associated Press)
Workers stand below the gold-colored entrance to the new Terminal 3 building at Beijing Airport Tuesday Feb. 26, 2008. The terminal, which opens Friday, is a centerpiece project for the 2008 Olympics...   (Associated Press)
Security guards undergo training during preparations at the new Terminal 3 building at Beijing Airport Tuesday Feb. 26, 2008. The terminal, which opens Friday, is a centerpiece project for the 2008 Olympics...   (Associated Press)
Workers walk through the new Terminal 3 building at Beijing Airport Tuesday Feb. 26, 2008. The terminal, which opens Friday, is a centerpiece project for the 2008 Olympics and is designed to relieve the...   (Associated Press)
A worker cleans at the high speed rail terminal at the new Terminal 3 building at Beijing Airport Tuesday Feb. 26, 2008. The terminal, which opens Friday, is a centerpiece project for the 2008 Olympics...   (Associated Press)
Workers arrange luggage carts during preparations at the new Terminal 3 building at Beijing Airport Tuesday Feb. 26, 2008. The terminal, which opens Friday, is a centerpiece project for the 2008 Olympics...   (Associated Press)
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China  • environment  • 2008 Beijing Olympics  • airport  • carbon footprint  • Beijing Capital International Airport  • Norman Foster


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