Xixian Airport Bonded Zone Affairs Service Center
Under construction; Northwest Bird’s Nest;
Located just 3 kilometers northwest of Xi’an Xianyang International Airport stands a uniquely designed building that resembles a UFO. This structure, known as the “Northwest Bird’s Nest,” is actually the Xixian Airport Bonded Zone Affairs Service Center. Currently, the exterior curtain wall is under construction, with the project expected to be delivered by the end of October.
The Xixian Airport Bonded Zone Affairs Service Center is situated within China’s first aviation city experimental zone. It covers a total construction area of 70,203 square meters, with an investment of 499.7 million yuan. The building rises 29 meters high, featuring one underground floor and seven floors above ground. This project pioneers the use of intelligent information construction technology in the northwest region, achieving industrialized construction through computer-aided design, factory manufacturing, and on-site assembly. It marks a significant breakthrough for Shaanxi’s construction industry.
He Lin, the chief engineer of the project from China Railway 20th Bureau Sixth Company, compares the Northwest Bird’s Nest to the Beijing Olympic main stadium. Although the Bird’s Nest in Xi’an is less than half the size of Beijing’s, it stands out for its complex structural system. Unlike the pure steel structure of the Beijing Bird’s Nest, the Northwest Bird’s Nest uses a quasi-spherical hybrid system. This consists of 68 steel spherical curved rib beams, steel-reinforced concrete ring beams, and steel-reinforced concrete frame beams and columns.
This structural system presents unique challenges due to numerous intersecting steel components. The steel bars collide at multiple angles and irregular shapes, and the connection points vary widely. Additionally, the angles of the “cow legs” on each rib beam differ, making it difficult to locate and connect the steel bars precisely. As a result, the construction complexity exceeds that of a typical steel structure.
The construction process involves more than 20 specialized trades and complex pipeline arrangements. To manage this complexity, the project team employs BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology for virtual construction and industrialized processes. This approach allowed the steel structure topping out to be completed approximately three months ahead of schedule. By using BIM technology, the team reduced costs by 2.5 million yuan while improving efficiency.
BIM technology integrates 3D digital modeling with comprehensive engineering data, providing coordinated and consistent information for design, construction, and operation phases. It shortens construction timelines and reduces costs throughout the entire building lifecycle, including planning, design, construction, and maintenance. In China, other notable projects using BIM include the Shanghai Center, Disney facilities, and Tianjin’s 117 Building.
Upon completion, the Northwest Bird’s Nest will play a crucial role in the Xi’an Xianyang Airport Bonded Logistics Center and the National Aviation City Experimental Zone. Taking advantage of its proximity to Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, it will support nine key functions: e-commerce, bonded logistics, bonded warehousing, import and export trade, transit trade, global procurement and international distribution, simple processing and value-added circulation services, and logistics information processing for bonded goods display.
This center will accelerate the concentration of aviation logistics, international trade, bonded display and trading, and export processing enterprises. It aims to establish a strategic aviation hub for the Silk Road, promoting the development of the Shaanxi Silk Road Economic Belt. In short, it is poised to become a vital gateway for the region’s economic growth and international connectivity—ready to “take flight.”
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