Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China

MAD Architects have released their design for the new Lishui Airport, a 12,100-square-meter building that takes on a bird-like form, seamlessly blending into the elevation, integrating the airport with the surrounding mountains positioning it as a spiritual landmark within the region.

“Lishui is a garden city, and her airport should also be in a garden. As a municipal airport, Lishui Airport embodies the essence of transportation facilities as a public space, prioritizing convenience, human scale, and city identity over sheer size and extravagance,” explains Ma Yansong.

With an expected annual passenger capacity of one million, the scheme will serve as Lishui’s municipal airport.

The project encompasses 2,267 hectares of land, with elevational disparities reaching nearly 100 meters.

The airport’s architectural silhouette resembles a white-feathered bird ready to soar, featuring a silver-white canopy.

This avian-inspired building integrates with the surrounding topography, imitating a garden itself.

Internally, warm wood tones across the interior combine with a shuttle-shaped skylight to promote energy efficiency and blur the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces.

The terminal’s one-and-a-half-story arrangement, which places waiting spaces on the upper level and departure amenities on the ground level, is carefully designed to maximize passenger flow.

Improved contact between passengers and their surroundings is further facilitated by a centrally located planted pathway within the recessed parking space.

According to Ma Yansong, the airport’s design accommodates increasing passenger numbers, forecasting 1.8 million passengers by 2030 and 5 million by 2050. In fact, the scheme incorporates the design of an additional international terminal. 

Project: Lishui Airport
Architects: MAD
Lead Architects: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun and Yosuke Hayano
Associate Partners in Charge: Liu Huiying and Kin Li
Design Team: Sun Shouquan, Zhang Xiaomei, Lei Lei, Yang Xuebin, Sun Mingze, Yin Jianfeng, Punnin Sukkasem, Zhu Yuhao, Zhang Yaohui, Alan Rodríguez Carrillo, Pittayapa Suriyapee, and Wang Xinyi
Client: Lishui Airport Construction Headquarters
Executive Architects: CAAC NEW ERA AIRPORT DESIGN INSTITUTE COMPANY LIMITED
Photographs: Courtesy of MAD Architects