Daily Times

The Chinese city of Harbin is most famous for its annual ice festival – a 100-day extravaganza that sees a sprawling wonderland carved out of chunks of ice from local rivers. But it may soon be remember by tourists for something even cooler: an airport shaped after a giant snowflake. Architects have revealed the design of a new airport terminal for the ‘City of Ice’, an 920,000-square-metre five-winged edifice that’s expected to handle 43 million passengers a year. The terminal is inspired by Harbin’s spectacular snowfalls during its lengthy winter and will be the third terminal in Harbin Taiping International Airport. Scheduled to complete in 2030, it’s expected to have 89 aircraft stands and process 320,000 takeoffs and landings per year. The terminal is designed by Beijing-based firm Mad Architects, which is helmed by Chinese designer Ma Yansong.