The first piece of the main building grid structure of Terminal II, a major part of the renovation and expansion of Zhuhai (Jinwan) Airport, was lifted and installed on March 22, signifying that the "seabird" facility will take shape by the end of next month.

The newly built Terminal II will be twice the size of the existing Terminal I. Its grid-structure roof will cover an area of over 65,000 sq m (16 acres) and weigh 5,220 metric tons. It is divided into four parts, namely the main building area, as well as the east, west, and south corridor areas.

Construction site [Photo courtesy Guanhai App]

The main building is designed to be high in the middle and low on both sides, with a height difference of 14 meters, according to Gao Quanlong, deputy project manager. The method of lifting according to areas is adopted with 47 lifting points. The first grid structure lifted for the main building has a floorage of 8,500 sq m (2.1 acres) and weight of 1,012.5 tons, he added.

To date, the grid structure of the east corridor area has been lifted into place, while that in the west corridor area has been 60 percent completed. The grid structure for the south corridor area is being assembled and expected to finish lifting by mid to late April.

The main structure of Terminal II has been 90 percent completed so far. Curtain walls and metal roof will be installed after grid structure lifting. Upon completion of the project in 2024, the airport's annual passenger capacity will double to 27.5 million.