Dubai International Airport - Case Study Example

Name Class Unit Dubai international airport Introduction Dubai International Airport is among the fastest growing airports in the world. The airport is recognised as one of the busiest and the aviation hub for the Middle East. Located in Garhoud district in the south eastern Dubai, the airport has the capability to serve over 40 million passengers annually and has over 200 destinations. In 2002, the airport was able to handle 15.9 million passengers. The number grew to 15.9 million passengers by 2007 which led to need for expansion. The Department of Civil Aviation came with plan to expand the airport in 2003. The new airport terminal was completed in 2008 (Fernandes & Rodrigues, 2011). This report analyses Dubai International Airport expansion project. The report looks at the engineering aspects of the project including design, materials and comparison with similar projects. Design and construction The projected started with the award of contract for the expansion of airport. The contract worth billion US dollars was given to a joint venture between three companies. The companies are; Al Habtoor, Murray and Roberts and Takenaka. The project involved 25,000 workers during its peak. The three companies commenced on the project soon after the award of the contract. The expansion of Dubai International Airport aimed at construction of Terminal 3. This is the largest terminal building worldwide. The terminal is located beneath taxiway and connected to Concourse 2. Terminal 3 was constructed in a shape of an airplane wing with a one kilometre length. The underground structure is multilevel with business class lounges, restaurants, lounges and car park. The design of the airport was carried out through use of innovative computer aided design. This helped a lot in making informed decisions. A team of architectural experts used the state of art computer design and drafting to enhance accuracy and efficiency (Armstrong Metal Ceilings, 2015). To effectively cater for the rising number of passengers, the project required an additional 221 check in counters. This was to be complemented by an automated baggage handling line which is 9 kilometres in length. The airport eliminated buses and replaced them with gates that are capable of ensuring that the passengers aboard the planes from the passenger lounges which are climate controlled. The project also utilised contractors to help in network cabling solutions due to the technology requirements. This enabled the airport communication elements to be well connected. The cabling system for the airport was designed to ensure that it would also cater for future needs (Armstrong Metal Ceilings, 2015). The terminal five of the twenty six gates are designed to accommodate the two storeys Airbus A380. The building has luxurious lounges and check in areas which are separate for the first class and business passengers. The airline also contains restaurants and cafes which are very elegant. In an area of 11000 square metres, the terminal has 29 shops. The design included state of art technology for the airport. The Concourse 2 is made to resemble a giant cocoon. The concourse is approximately 900 metres long, 30 metres high and 90 metres wide. The unusual geometric shape of the cocoon makes it remarkable. Due to fact that the terminal is constructed underground, the construction materials used are engineered to ensure that they can absorb the vibrations of aircrafts above. The engineers ensured that there were strict regulations to protect the passengers and airplanes from fire, climate and seismic (SIKA, 2011). Materials The terminal has 120000 ceiling tiles which are of varying and complex geometry. The concourse resembles a big cocoon since it’s curved in three dimensions. The architecture is complex with a curved roof which covers an area of 87,000m2. This made it prudent to have comprehensive design for the parts used in ceiling. The unusual structures of the building required the design of 120,000 ceiling tiles to be made in 60,000 varying positions. The tiles were made in an automatic production plant and powder coating applied for high performance. The tiles made were strong and had a smooth surface (SIKA, 2011). Concourse project involved a major logistic challenge. Since the structure was built from one end to the other, the materials had to be delivered on the site at a specific order. The difference from one tile to the other was in tenth of millimetres hence could not be visually identified. The engineering company marked each of the tiles with a specific identification number which gave it a precise location during the installation. The wall cladding utilised was developed to suit the customers’ needs. The process of wall cladding was intensive and time consuming due to high number of interfaces and details. There was use of panels which were impact resistant measuring 1.2 by 2.7m. Due to demands on quality, a scratch resistant high performing powder was devised. Snap in metal ceiling was used by both the terminal and concourse. The snap in ceiling systems were utilised due to fact that they are economical and unique. Both terminal three and concourse were built by a budget of US$ 1.4 billion. At the completion, the airport capacity went up to 60 million passengers (Armstrong Metal Ceilings, 2015). The steel structures used by the airport were expected to provide maximum protection. The hangars utilised steel structures which are capable of protecting it for about 60 minutes in case of a fire. This would allow the people inside to escape and protect the airplanes from major damage. The total area of the steel structures on the roof is 240,000 m2 and coating was applied in open air. Due to climate of Dubai, open air application of coating was not a problem (SIKA, 2011). Comparison with other projects The project was able to accomplish a world class terminal with all amenities. The amenities provided are shops, supermarkets and spas. The aviation city has been launched as an economic zone by the government. The airport has been able to challenge Heathrow airport which had been one of the major airports. Dubai International Airport has more international passengers than Heathrow airport based on the 2014 figures. Dubai International Airport was able to handle 2 million more passengers in 2014 compared to Heathrow airport. Despite this, Heathrow remains the busiest airport in Europe. Dubai International Airport has been planning to increase the number of passengers from 60 million to 90 million in a period of four years. Terminal 3 of Dubai international airline is the largest terminal worldwide with an area of 1,713,000 square metres. This gives the terminal a second place in floor area of any building globally. Another mega airport project which can be compared with Dubai International Airport is Beijing Capital International Airport. The airport is the busiest in Asia and has the second largest terminal worldwide. The airport terminal three covers 986,000 square metres making it second largest terminal worldwide behind Dubai International Airport terminal three. Hartsfield –Jackson Atlanta covers an area of 130 acres. The airport has 207 gates and is capable of handling 200,000 passengers per day based on 2014 data. Haneda Airport in Tokyo Japan has its third terminal completed on 2010. This has enhanced the airport capacity. This has made it possible for the airport to handle over 407,000 movements annually. Dubai has been able to achieve an airport capable of addressing the challenge of growing number of passengers. The department of civil aviation have been able to achieve a major fete by constructing one of the world top 20 airports. This mega project will continue making travels to Dubai easier and support the region fast growing economy (Bowen & Cidell, 2011). Conclusion The expansion of Dubai International Airport is a major engineering project that was undertaken in Dubai. The project involved construction of world largest terminal building in the airport. The constructed Terminal 3 was in a shape of an airplane wing and length of one kilometre. The project involved an additional 221 check in counters. This was to be complemented by an automated baggage handling line which is 9 kilometres in length. Through use of gates, the need for buses in boarding airplanes was eliminated. The terminal connects to a cocoon shaped concourse which has a complex architecture. Dubai International Airport includes state of art technology. The materials utilised in the project were tailored to meet the needs for the airline. The completion of terminal three of the airport has enabled the airport to challenge Heathrow airport. The airport is one of the busiest worldwide and among the largest. The construction design and the materials used prove the large size of the project. Through the project, Dubai has been able to address the challenge of increasing number of passengers. References Armstrong Metal Ceilings, (2015), DXB-Dubai International Airport, Project Report, Armstrong.com. Retrieved 8th August 2015 from, http://www.armstrong.com/assets/global/commclgeu/files/Gallery/1158.PDF Bowen, J. T., & Cidell, J. L. (2011). Mega-airports: The political, economic, and environmental implications of the world’s expanding air transportation gateways. In Engineering Earth (pp. 867-887). Springer Netherlands. Fernandes, C., & Rodrigues, G. (2011). Dubai’s potential as an integrated logistics hub. Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 25(3). SIKA, (2011), Dubai International Airport, UAE: Steel Structure Protection for 7 Emirates Hangars, Sika.com, Retrieved 8th August 2015 from, https://www.sika.com/dms/getdocument.get/d5521205-07be-3cd7-998f- 362294892e93/No%2040_SAW_Dubai%20Airport.pdf Read More