A major structure for the terminal of Beijing's new airport was completed on Jan. 19, in preparation for the next phase of large-scale construction.

Covering a total area of 600,000 square meters, the terminal's major structure is made from cast-in-situ concrete molded over a concrete frame, and the roof utilizes a space structure system, according to the blueprint.

The airport terminal is the largest and most technologically advanced, as well as the most complex structure among all the projects being carried out for the new airport, according to Beijing Urban Construction Investment & Development Co., LTD, the company in charge of buiding the terminal. But the work, which started in March 2016, has taken less than a year to finish, said Li Jinhua, a project manager.

Li said a total of 830,000 cubic meters of concrete and 173,000 tons of reinforcing steel bars have been used, which far exceeds the 110,000 tons used to build the Bird's Nest Stadium.

Construction of new airport lines and expressways were started on Nov. 30 and Dec. 26, 2016, respectively. The new airport will integrate multiple forms of transportation when it is opened for use.

Meanwhile, an afforestation project covering an area of 14,000 mu, or 933 hectares, has been planned to surround the airport, according to Tan Xuxiang, party secretary of Daxing district in Southern Beijing, where the new airport is located. Tan disclosed that another afforestation plan has been made to cover 11 traffic lines linking the new airport.