Baiyun Airport T2 Terminal

When Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Terminal 2 opened fully in May 2018, it marked the beginning of a twin-terminal era for the airport. Terminal 2 is paired with the largest comprehensive transportation center in southern China and is currently the largest single terminal building in operation in China, earning it the reputation as a world-class mega-hub. Designed as an international calling card for Guangzhou's regional culture and a global window for external exchange, the terminal integrates numerous technological, humanistic, and green elements that enhance operational efficiency while serving the growing number of passengers departing from or connecting through Guangzhou. Baiyun Airport projected that passenger throughput would exceed 70 million in 2018. GVL Landscapes was honored to participate in the design of selected interior landscape zones within Terminal 2. During the planning and design process, the team proposed a Four Modernizations design interpretation for the terminal: internationalization, modernization, ecologicalization, and regionalization. Through this framework, the design sought to construct a hub space that benchmarks against international airports, embodies ecological environmentalism, possesses contemporary design sensibility, and reveals the depth of Guangfu regional culture. The aim was to let travelers, even in their hurried journeys, experience beauty through visual progression and to feel the historical accumulation of Guangzhou while their bodies and minds relax. Terminal 2 is the only major international hub in China featuring large-area green walls. The terminal architecture is strongly modern and technological in character, and large-scale green ecological elements add natural qualities to the vast interior space. Ten extensive feature walls provide an effective solution. These green walls not only bring a natural atmosphere to the terminal but also enrich the visual quality of the facades. This approach aligns with the green ecological philosophy long advocated by GVL and positions Terminal 2 at the international benchmark level in terms of environmental sustainability. The green walls also serve as local microclimate regulators: wall vegetation blocks significant solar heat radiation, lowering interior temperatures in summer and helping maintain thermal balance in winter. Furthermore, plants and growing media absorb and purify sound, indoor carbon dioxide, and multiple air pollutants, effectively improving indoor air quality. To help travelers experience Guangzhou's landscape, culture, and historical heritage as they move through the terminal, GVL developed landscape creative concepts themed on Cloud Mountain and Pearl Water and on Guangdong embroidery during the design phase, presented through rendering. The final built result closely matches the design vision, bringing local culture to life within an international hub of intense human flow. The team also designed a series of landscape groupings integrated with seating functions at the island-end leisure area of the third-floor departure hall, combining landscape greenery with rest opportunities for a light, graceful, and caring environment.