The new Terminal at Beijing Capital International Airport has opened

Designed and completed in four years, Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport opens the doors this week to its latest Olympic creation – a massive glass-and-steel airport terminal with a gently sloping roof that will welcome visitors to the Summer Games.

Designed by British architect Norman Foster as a Joint Venture with NACO and ARUP, the building attempts to combine traditional architectural elements with up-to-date technology. Its red columns and matte gold roof are meant to evoke Beijing's imperial palaces and temples. The floor space of the terminal and ground transportation center covers 1.3 million square meters (14 million square feet). The terminal is a project designed to relieve the overloaded airport's other two terminals and accommodate expected rapid growth in the number of visitors to Beijing.Six international and domestic airlines will begin operating in the terminal February 29, while others will switch over from the other two terminals in March. The Olympics start August 8.