Thirty years’ watching the changing face of Beijing

In anticipation of the Olympics, Beijing Capital International Airport was expanded with the opening of Norman Foster's Terminal 3, then the world's largest airport building. For photographers, the Metro Station at T3 has created fascinating patterns due to the internal reflections of its roof structure.

There was a real buzz of activity in the period before 2008. Structures gaining international attention were changing the appearance and feel of the city. Close to the Great Hall of the People, designed in the 1950s, the "egg-shaped" National Center for the Performing Arts designed by French architect Paul Andrew was completed in September 2007, giving Beijing a world-leading concert and theatrical venue.

I remember looking in amazement in the early 2000s at a model within the Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall at Qianmen of the proposed CBD developments along Guanghua Lu, and wondered if it would ever happen. It has, and as we see today it has emerged into the thriving international business heart of the city while continuing to expand both in area and in height. In 2008 the 330-meter China World Trade Center 3 tower grew skyward, eventually becoming the capital's highest commercial building. Eastward were other eye-catching designs, such as the 234-meter high CCTV Headquarters on eastern Guanghua Lu, which opened in May 2012. Designed by Dutch and German architects Rem Koolhas and Ole Scheeren, today it is a popular backdrop for photography by visitors to the outdoor terrace at the recently opened extension to China World Mall at Guomao. That terrace has allowed me to continue documenting the rise of China Zun to 530 meters, from what only three years ago was a great hole in the ground!