Speaker Biograghy: Cristiano's professional focus includes design and development of building infrastructure; geometric and constructability resolution; client development; project governance; cost control and construction supervision. He has spearheaded ZHA’s entry into the aviation market since 2010. He is the Project Director for the Beijing New Airport passenger terminal, and has led terminal and aviation infrastructure project bids in China, Mexico, Turkey and the USA, establishing valuable interdisciplinary partnership within the industry as a result. Cristiano previously worked for Frank O Gehry in Los Angeles and was also a co-founder of Gehry Technologies, where he established interdisciplinary research with Boeing. Cristiano trained as both an architect and computer scientist, and has practised and taught architecture in Europe, Asia and the USA. He received degrees from the Architectural Association and Imperial College in London and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.


Day 2 - 21 March
Session: Airport Design, Planning & Development - Middle East & Asia

09:35 - 10:05 - Beijing New Airport: monitoring a mega-hub airport construction project
Synopsis: The Beijing New Airport is a new gateway for China, a portal for Beijing to the world, and a necessary catalyst to support the continued growth of the region’s economy. Following the start of construction in 2015, the construction of the airport has progressed rapidly, all while the project is still undergoing detailed design. This presentation will illustrate the challenges of building one of the world’s largest single-volume, long-span terminal buildings, showcasing the construction operations at the Beijing New Airport site and explaining how an international design process is being translated into built form in China.

Audience will learn:

• Terminal design
• Architecture
• 3D modelling
• International collaboration
• Terminal construction