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Case Study

Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Terminal 3

Located in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province, the terminal handles both domestic and international flights. When searching for the appropriate material to be the roofing for this modern piece of architecture, designers selected ColorisTM pre-painted aluminum.

Already the busiest airport in central China and the 14th busiest in the country, Terminal 3 is projected to serve 35 million travelers per year by 2020.

In addition to the new terminal at the Wuhan Tianhe airport, a new control tower, runway and rail station were also constructed.

City: Wuhan
Country: China
Products: Coloris pre-painted aluminum
Application: Roofing
Color: Signal white

Thickness: 0.9 mm
Quantity: 280,000 m2
Architect: CSADI, China
Installation: Center International Group Co.

Guaranteed Quality

With the aluminum roofing such a signature part of the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Terminal 3 facade, form and function had to work together. Coloris pre-painted aluminum proved to be just the combination that the designers and installers were looking for to capture their vision.

This pre-painted aluminum from Novelis has an alloy with a higher strength than typical AlMg1 alloys, so wider spans could be achieved. Less material was required per panel, saving money but also weight. A one-third weight reduction per unit surface area really added up, especially in a structure this large.

Durability is also an important factor for the material and the paint. If this much roofing required replacement often or maintenance was difficult, it wouldn’t work for this application. The quality of Coloris is so good, Novelis guarantees it for up to 20 years.

Rather than spray coating the finished piece, as is done with conventional aluminum panels, Novelis pre-painted aluminum is produced from sheet that is cleaned and treated, then roll-coated in a continuous process. This is a standardized process that produces greater consistency in color and quality than post-painted panels.

Our outstanding PVdF (polyvinylidene fluoride) paints with ceramic inorganic pigments also create a surface that is excellent at resisting the effects of weather and corrosion. This gives the material at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport Terminal 3 a longer life that also requires less maintenance.