The terminal renovation project will be undertaken by AECOM, which has established a partnership with Harvard University on urban planning. According to airport officials, the park will be spread over a large expanse of land and will be the first space seen by visitors in place of lines of taxis or Metro stations.
Terminal 1 will also feature budget hotels, shower rooms, more duty-free shops as well as Wi-Fi coverage. The renovation project is expected to transform the current transportation hub into a centre for commerce and lifestyle. It will also become a living room of urban environment rather than an airport, according to AECOM.
The renovation project is in-line with the current trend for future cities to make airports and railway stations a source of pleasure for the public by combining them with parks and other functions.
The renovation work on Hongqiao’s Terminal 1 building is expected to complete by 2015, and will be able to handle a total of 15 million passengers per year. The terminal currently handles only 10% of passenger volume to the airport following the launch of Terminal 2 in 2010, according to the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission.
Students from the Harvard school will also be involved in making urban blueprints for Xiamen in the southeast Fujian Province, Shenyang in the northeast Liaoning Province and Macau in three years in collaboration with the cities’ urban planning authorities.
