Construction for the information technology and operations centers of Beijing's new airport will begin, according to the construction authority after securing the construction permit.
The centers are located 1 kilometer northeast to the new terminal building, taking up an area of 32,000 square meters. The complex will serve as the information center, the communication center, and the operations center of the airport.
The complex will include a building for collecting big data for the airport. Home to the core equipment for more than sixty low voltage information systems, the building is where all the computation, storage, and information exchanges take place. It will also be a communication hub for the three major carriers in China -- China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Mobile -- as well as for the China Tower company and the cable operators.
The information technology center will be responsible for both internal and external communications throughout the airport, while the operations center will see to the airport's operational control, coordination, and emergency response. Prior to the opening of the airport, operators will carry out running drills in the operations center to ensure a smooth opening.
With the roofing and enclosure of the terminal building complete, its form factor resembling a phoenix is taking shape in south Beijing. The 180,000-square meter, three-layered curvy roof of the terminal is visually reminiscent of lotus petals, and is installed with four-layered windows that are adjustable to the direction of sunlight.
At present, the construction of the terminal building is focusing on projects such as interior decoration, the baggage handling system, the elevators, the fire-fighting system, mechanical installation, the underground railway, and the outdoor boarding bridge. By the end of this year, the major part of the new airport is expected to complete, and the operators will finish industrial and commercial registration to get ready for the inspection, testing, drilling, and pilot run in 2019.