Buro Happold’s holistic approach creates both flexibility and value
Construction of a new international pier at Birmingham International Airport (BIA), designed by Pascall + Watson Architects, has recently started on site – and international engineering consultancy Buro Happold’s holistic approach has helped optimise the design in terms of offering both best value and maximum flexibility to the airport. The pier, costing £45m, will be 230 metres long and will provide an additional 15,000m2 of floor space.
This major airside project is part of an ongoing development programme to cater for BIA’s increasing and changing business demands, as the airport competes for both regional and international business and is growing as a gateway to the UK. Its central location and excellent rail links allow it to serve a very wide catchment area, and indeed the pier is the first major airside project to form a component part of the airport’s future plans to improve global connectivity for the Midlands.
The existing two-tier international pier had become both congested and fraught with operational complexities. Facilities at the new pier will be upgraded to match both airline and user expectations, with client aspirations and shareholder value contributing to the final design.
The 230m-long pier will allow for flexible operational scenarios while retaining the existing aesthetic – and will provide an extra 15,000m2 of floor space
The architectural design needed to ensure that the project was as efficient as possible in terms of both capital and lifecycle costs. With this in mind, the building was designed to use standard sections and materials where possible – while providing a calm, high, airy and user-friendly facility for passengers.
“The result is a spare and minimalist architectural solution, in keeping with the existing aesthetic, which provides extremely good value and sets the tone for future developments at the airport,” said Barnaby Swann, a structural associate with Buro Happold and project leader on the BIP. “For example, it allows for the later addition of extra security screening areas and extensions to be designed in with maximum ease, and for a number of different operational scenarios and traffic mixes, making the most of existing amenities while providing a user-friendly passenger experience.”
Departing passengers will use the top level, which includes gate lounges that can be combined to serve larger aircraft, and arriving passengers will use the mid level to ensure segregation. On the ground floor, space for tenant accommodation and provision for a future bussing lounge will be provided.
The new pier has been designed to serve six new aircraft stands which have MARS (Multiple Aircraft Ramp System) capabilities, and can accommodate next-generation, environmentally-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’. This allows the airport increased operational benefits, as it can use each stand for either a single wide bodied aircraft or two smaller aircrafts. “This had a significant impact on the planning of the pier, as the gate rooms need to be combined when serving the larger aircraft,” said Swann.
Buro Happold has created a simple, cost-effective, robust and flexible pier
Buro Happold is providing a number of services for the project, including structural, civil, geotechnical, fire and life safety engineering and airside planning. The building is designed to be user-friendly and robust, while the light and optimised steel frame saves money. The grid system creates optimised open spaces, with a 20m wide column-free zone running centrally along the length of the pier at departures level.
“Buro Happold has extensive experience in this kind of project,” said Swann. “We have designed many piers before, such as Heathrow Terminal 3 Pier 6 and Gatwick Pier 6, and are currently working on Heathrow’s new Midfield Pier at Terminal 2. Together with Pascall + Watson Architects, we have designed an optimum solution in terms of both usability and value for BIA.”
“It is vital to get the strategy right from the start, to avoid expensive mistakes later on”
“Experience has taught us that the design of these buildings above all needs to be flexible, to cope with clients’ changing needs,” he added. “It is also vital to ensure the right strategy is adopted from the start, allowing for all the systems to be integrated. Items such as security screens, buggy rails and passenger conveyors need to be considered at the start of the design process, as any mistakes will be duplicated many times over the length of the building – when a building is 230 metres long, and most of the design of the first few metres will be replicated along the length, early mistakes can be very costly.”
Furthermore, a number of sustainable solutions have been incorporated into the building services design, including a CHP (combined heat and power) plant. Control zones will match activity levels, enabling energy conservation and adequate out-of-hours operation.
Project team:
Client: Birmingham International Airport
Architect: Pascall + Watson Architects
Services provided by Buro Happold: Structural, civil, geotechnical and fire engineering; airside planning.
Project manager: MACE Ltd
Main contractor: Laing O’Rourke
Ends
Note to Editors:
Buro Happold
Press Office and practice information at www.burohappold.com
For more information, please contact the Press Office.
Computer generated images of the pier are available on request.
Jenni O’Connor
Press Officer
Tel +44 (0)1225 320627
Email jenni.o’connor@burohappold.com
Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. We now employ over 1,700 staff in 21 offices worldwide and our aim is to produce high quality engineering design in concept, in detail and in execution, on time, to programme and delivering excellent value for money. Our distinctive culture and ethos is still based on the same principles of care, value and elegance that were established when the practice was founded.
We offer structural, building services, civil, infrastructure and façade engineering, as well as a broad range of specialist consultancy services including sustainability, ground and environmental engineering, fire and security design, health and safety management, inclusive and urban design, project management, and specialist CAD and computer simulation provision.
Birmingham International Airport
Birmingham International Airport is the UK’s second largest airport outside London, the third largest for charter traffic, and the UK’s sixth largest overall. In 2007 9,232,496 passengers used the Airport, 0.9% more than in 2006.
In January 2008, the Airport Company submitted a Planning Application to Solihull MBC to extend the main runway by 405 metres, to accommodate a full range of long-haul destinations from BIA.
For more information, see www.bhx.co.uk.