Client:
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Company, Ltd.

Project Approver: Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)

Project Duration: Phase I:
1999-2004

Project Cost:
$520 million

Contract Value:
$9.43 million

Parsons Services:
Concept, schematic, and design development; overall terminal layout plan, plus related landside functions and services; preparation and coordination of Chinese construction documents with local design institutes; construction support

The first U.S.-Chinese cooperative effort to design and build a major airport culminates late this summer when the shiny new Guangzhou New Baiyun Airport officially opens for business. China’s air travel business is expected to soar, resulting in its need for increased airport capacity, and motivating the Chinese to envision upgrading or building 41 airports in their current five-year plan. The new Guangzhou Airport, a major gateway to China, has attracted the attention of many Chinese political and business leaders as well as many international companies hoping to participate in the growing Chinese trade.

Parsons, teaming with subcontractor URS Greiner and local Chinese design institutes, was responsible for Phase I conceptual design of the overall passenger terminal layout, including landside functions and services. Because of China’s burgeoning economic growth, rapid expansion, and anticipated population growth, Guangzhou had outgrown its former airport and recognized the need for a new airport that could handle increased passenger and cargo demands. The Civil Aviation Administration of China and the China State Development and Planning Commission approved the project in the 1990s, and a grand-scale engineering venture began.

Overview

The Parsons team began designing the New Baiyun Airport in 1999. Parsons’ impressive reputation for advanced planning and coordination was an important factor in meeting the challenge of working with Chinese government bureaucracy to finish the first phase of this mega-project. Parsons completed the design phase in three years, working predominantly in the United States, while coordinating construction documents with local Chinese architectural firms such as the Guangdong Provincial Architectural Design Institute. Phase I construction involved more than 10,000 workers at the height of the endeavor, and relocated 20,000 area residents to make room for the massive project.

Connection Building Laminated Curtain Wall

Phase I design included the main terminal, the east-west connection building, four concourses, landscaped surface parking, structured parking, an airport hotel, and an air traffic control tower—the tallest in the country. Phase I also included two runways, aircraft maintenance and air cargo facilities, nearly 65 aircraft hardstands (192 aircraft stands will be completed by 2010), vehicle parking, and a new highway and rail system serving the airport. Two terminal area loop roadway systems will facilitate landside vehicle traffic flow and reduce congestion. Located under the terminal will be a metro rail station for travel to downtown Guangzhou.

Background

Strategic location

Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province and home to 7.1 million people, is the heart of China’s burgeoning Pearl River Delta region. Historically an agricultural area, the region aggressively sought commerce and encouraged outside development. Now a manufacturing center, it produces one third of China’s exports.

The New Baiyun Airport is the hub of China Southern Airlines and hopes to become a major international gateway rivaling Beijing and Shanghai as an important mainland airport. The second busiest in passenger flow and the third busiest in cargo movement, New Baiyun Airport will compete with five regional and international airports, including Hong Kong and Macao. It will undoubtedly continue to play an important role in the regional economic development and in the future of the People’s Republic of China.

Architectural Award

The Parsons team’s meticulous structural design and architectural innovation brought attention and acclaim to Guangzhou well before the New Baiyun Airport’s official opening. The airy glass and steel architectural design, unique to the Chinese landscape, has attracted much attention. The project was recognized with the American Architecture Honor Award in the year 2000.

The Parsons team’s meticulous structural design and architectural innovation brought attention and acclaim to Guangzhou well before the New Baiyun Airport’s official opening

In addition to structural beauty, attention to every facet of design and detail during Phase I produced a cost-efficient design that met the client's budget:

Project Cost Efficiency

• Total construction area: 350,000 square meters

• Total construction cost: US$520 million (including terminal area roadway system and parking)

• Unit construction cost: US$1,430 per square meter

• Cost per boarding gate: US$10 million

• Cost per each peak hour passenger: US$55,360

• Cost per each annual passenger: US$20.00

Airside Curtain Wall View	Cross Service Bridge Detail

Airport Revenue (Commercial Area)

Connection Building Entrance

When fully operational, the airport will house an international-standard convention center where a visitor can de-plane, check into a quality hotel, experience fine dining and shopping, and attend a conference—all without leaving the airport. With 200,000 square meters of commercial area set aside for shopping, a hotel with up to 800 rooms, a convention center, and exhibition halls, the airport can generate substantial additional revenue and provide more than 10,000 local jobs.

Parsons is now working on Phase II, which involves middle-and long-term planning and design of the terminal. Phase II will include an additional runway and expansion of the terminal, increasing the annual passenger capacity from 25 million to 80 million with 360,000 aircraft operations. Phase III will involve another central ticketing terminal and 50 additional gates.

Guangzhou’s New Baiyun Airport adds another dimension to Parsons’ project and innovative design expertise. Parsons teams are at work on expansion and management projects at airports in Miami, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Athens, Greece. Parsons was recently recognized for environmental excellence at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Parsons’ exceptional experience and reputation for success on challenging airport projects will continue to put the company at the forefront of major expansion, management, and conceptual design projects at airports around the world.

Back