Wudang Mountains airport terminal breaks ground

A rendering of the Wudang Mountains Airport [Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

The construction of the Wudang Mountains airport terminal in Hubei province is in full swing, with the airport scheduled to open in 2016.

With a planned area of 15,000 square meters, the terminal will consist of two floors, including areas for ticketing, consultation service, security check, luggage check-in and passenger rest. The departure lounge will be able to accommodate 400 passengers.

Six parking areas for aircrafts will be built by the end of 2030 with an annual passenger throughput reaching 1.6 million. The airport will initially be used for domestic flights and is set to serve international routes in 2040.

A 24,150-square-meter parking lot is going to be provided with 484 parking spaces, consisting of five parts for taxis, VIP passengers, social vehicles, buses and airport staff. The social vehicles area will take up the largest percentage with 296 spaces.

The road in front of the terminal will adopt one-way four-lane construction and will be closely linked with the parking lot and working areas.

The terminal's exterior, based on Shiyan's most distinctive mountains, water scenery and vehicle market, will be designed featuring the flexible and gentle aspects of tai chi, waves, notes and mountains.

The terminal will be divided into two parts, with the layout similar to the yin and yang symbol of tai chi to highlight Wudang's Taoist culture.

The principle of ecology will also be weaved into the design, including lower roofs to reduce energy consumption of air conditioning and more high side windows to make full use of natural light and wind.

In addition, hybrid power buses are going to be used to save energy consumption.

Contributed by Wang Liang and Jiang Yuanbo from Wudang Mountains Tourism Bureau