Qing Dao is located on the east coast of China, in the Shandong Peninsula, and with its population of 9 million is one of the country’s most important port cities. The new station is part of a new high-speed railway connection between Qing Dao and Jinan. The design of the French firm AREP addresses the infrastructural needs of a large station, but pays special attention to the flow of travelers, seeking at every point to optimize movements as much as possible.

The huge, 30,000-square-meter passenger waiting room is crowned by an enormous, 352 x 203-meter roof built with steel frames spanning distances of up to 140 meters. These frames, which look complex, are each made of two identical triangular pieces which, depending on the angle of connection between them, vary in height, giving the building a wavy volume, in allusion not only to the sea it faces but also to the flight of a large bird. Such structural economy accompanies other energy-saving decisions, such as the use of geothermal energy and the detailed study of natural ventilation in an area where both temperature and humidity average quite high. AREP