Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport to gain second terminal

26/02/2009

Buro Happold ensures sustainability at Oslo Airport’s T2

International multi-disciplinary engineering firm Buro Happold is part of the Narud Stokke Wiig Architects and Planners AS (NSW) team that was recently awarded the design commission for Oslo airport’s major expansion programme. The ‘T2’ development includes a terminal extension, a new pier, extensive remodelling of the airside and landside infrastructure components, as well as a significant package of enabling works to facilitate the overall delivery.

The current terminal was built to handle 17 million passengers per year, and the growth in air traffic in recent years has led to the need to increase capacity. The plan is for ‘T2’ to be part of the existing building, making it easier for passengers to negotiate. The departures hall will have 36 check-in desks, and the proposal includes a new area for restaurants, cafés and shops, while a further aircraft pier will be built to the north.

Buro Happold’s principal contribution to the successful bid included energy and sustainability engineering and operational planning support. The latter covered capacity planning, operational impact analysis and baggage handling advice. The new baggage handling system will be able to process 3,000 bags an hour.

The NSW-led consortium also includes Cowi, Norconsult, Aas-Jacobsen, Ing, and Per Rasmussen – Narud Stokke Wiig are the majority shareholders of Aviaplan who did the original masterplan and terminal design for Gardermoen Airport. Design work is due to start immediately, with a projected start of enabling works by June 2009. The main T2 construction works are programmed to commence in the first quarter of 2010. 

Buro Happold is aiming to cut energy demand by 50% against the existing terminal
“From the outset of the competition, the clear vision of the design team was for the new terminal to be an exemplar building. It aims to achieve a 50% reduction in energy demand compared to the existing terminal – which is already one of the world’s most efficient airports,” said Rod Manson, regional director of Buro Happold.

Buro Happold has been heavily involved in developing the environmental and sustainability concepts for the scheme – working to the ‘lean, mean and green’ principle – advising on the performance of the building envelope and helping to optimise the building form for passive solar design and maximum daylight penetration.

Another key concept is that of a dynamic building envelope, to respond to changing external conditions both throughout the day, and across the year. Low carbon technologies such as earth tubes, biomass district heating and tapping into the natural thermal energy from the aquifer were also key elements of sustainability strategy.

“Sustainability has also been considered in a much wider holistic sense, ranging from material selection, construction practices, transport and waste management, as well as the proposal to use a sustainability management system to measure and monitor performance,” said Manson.

Project team

Client:

Oslo Gardermoen Airport

Architect:

NSW

Buro Happold services:

Energy and sustainability engineering, computer modelling design and airport planning