Resilient structures lead to sustainable airports

Deploying advanced technology will improve passenger flow through airports thereby increasing capacity.

Aviation is one of the fastest moving sectors globally with phenomenal growth rates across different sectors. This phenomenal growth rate has in turn forced the Airport Operators, Architects, Planners to think miles ahead as to what lies ahead of them post the completion of a project. One of the ways, we see as a medium to the airport being better designed is by introducing due flexibility in the airports.

With advancements in technology such as Artificial Intelligence, due predictions can be made to ascertain how the terminal building would behave with the per million passengers going up and then how due flexibility can be introduced in the building to deal with the capacity, becomes one of the major responsibility of the architect to deal with. And this reiterates the significance of technology in ensuring a better passenger experience, according to Harsh Varshneya, Director, STHAPATI Associates.

Airport capacity crunch and new market dynamics
A single solution cannot cater to this problem however the airport in different regions and context are finding their own solutions from high-tech to high quality materials. In Indian context many of the 40 major airports will exceed their design capacity within a decade as per the projected growth rates. 50 disused airports will be opened by 2020, also approval for 18 new green field airports is given to deal with future growth capacity.

“According to the present environment issues where mass infrastructure like airports act as energy guzzlers we need to design airports which are low energy need-built forms, with the help of cutting-edge state-of-the-art technology with strict and adjacent cooperation between all the disciplines,” says Prof. Charanjit Singh Shah (Founding Principal) and Ar. Gurpreet Shah (Principal Architect), Creative Group.

Short-and medium-term management activities will ensure smooth functioning of operations at airports. “With changes in technology, a significant amount of the ticketing space in existing airports has now become unused and can be used as a resource for future development,” says Ar. Surinder Bahga, Sakaar Foundation.

Implementing new software systems will work
Developing countries such as India will have to deal with the growing number of passengers by building more and bigger airports. “The use of technology will greatly improve the passenger flow through airports and increase passenger capacity, says Ar. S.K. Goel, Conarch Architects. However, the new software systems will work best when accompanied by upgraded airport infrastructure. That’s why airports all over the world are undergoing expansion projects, he adds.

Airports in India are at a rapid growth. Being a passenger dominant area, they require full-proof systems. Standing seam sheet is used widely in airports as it is available in a single length, thereby making the sheet live longer. Given the robust growth in the space, Aditya Profiles Pvt Ltd is targeting about 15 big airports based on their timelines and the magnitude of the project. BMC is the consultant and requires the standard that can sustain airports for 50 -70 years, as also required.

Airport structures are designed to last for minimum 50 years. The company explains how it is contributing to achieving the same in terms of passenger, traffic, acoustic that can affect the airport around and from inside. Already, airports had projected the structure and roofing is stable, safe and appropriate in terms of design for 50 years.

“Our systems are designed to give architects the freedom they want to get the desired aesthetic. We’ve done a lot of complex structures in India and worldwide. While the challenges there were hard to deal with for a roofing company, we have overcome the same with our design team in Germany,” according to Sajin Thomas, Sr. Regional Manager – South, Aditya Profiles Pvt Ltd.

Currently, the company is designing Navi Mumbai Airport and providing solutions that would help the architect give aesthetic appearance to the prestigious project. Besides this, it is combining multiple facades of the building in terms of acoustic and roofing, also savings in terms of cost. In addition to this, the company is also doing its fourth airport at Agartala. It started with Delhi Terminal 3, Belgaum airport and a small work at Kochi Airport.

Risk and resilience
There is a constant growth in demand in aviation industry however the demand has been more concentrated around most urban locations compared to remote locations. Imbalances are between airport supply and demand, as the growth of travellers compared to number of airports build in last 15 years is a huge mismatch. “With limited number of runways, most of the countries are making additional terminals to handle the growing number of passengers. Making new airports near the major metropolitan areas also has its challenge of finding large section of affordable and environmentally acceptable land, says Niraj Bhatia, Head Strategy, Procurement and Contracts, Viiking BuildInfra Pvt Ltd.

“The risk management team with the right equipment, technology and right reporting lines helps make the airport resilient. They keep the mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment in up-to-date condition in order to avoid breakdowns, power outage, flooding,” etc, he adds.

Design flexibility
Structural steel, rebar steel and mild steel are used during airport construction as per design requirement. Steel can offer good architectural flexibility in design. With steel one can make very large open spans and at a very fast pace, further Bhatia adds.

Improving efficiency to ease air traffic congestion
With the ever-increasing passenger traffic, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has taken several measures to tackle airport congestion in order to optimise the aircraft turnaround time, says CSMIA spokesperson.
CSMIA started mapped the time taken for each activity by the airline, which included AME establishing contact with the pilot, connection of aerobridge to the aircraft, passenger boarding and de-boarding, catering, loading and un-loading, aircraft fuelling, and cleaning. These collaborative efforts have resulted in improved airport On-Time Performance (OTP) with an increase of 12 per cent, CSMIA Spokesperson adds.

The airport since 2014 has accounted for substantial growth in Air Traffic Movement and has reduced its Runway Occupancy Time (ROT) from 65 seconds to 47-49 seconds, now. Through CSMIA’s pioneering initiatives like a fully-automated check-in process generating boarding pass and baggage tag through ‘Common Use Self Service (CUSS)’ kiosks along with advanced body scanners, mobile application to shop, explore and order food meals online, the airport fully automated people travel via Mumbai.

Stainless steel grade selection, for any application, is dependent on the corrosion intensity of the environment, along with the strength and the degree of formability required. A variety of stainless-steel grades like 304, 316, 201, 202, 430, etc. are suitable for airport construction, informs K K Pahuja, President, ISSDA.

In non-coastal cities, 304 grade is the preferred choice because of its excellent resistance to corrosion, along with increased weldability. However, due to an increased rate of corrosion in coastal cities, given the marine environment, the improved 316 grade is preferred for exterior applications, while 304 grade for interiors. Along with this, a good surface finish is required to resist chloride pitting corrosion in these areas.

Applications
Some of the major applications are airport roofs, entrance canopies, ticket counters, staircases, planters, signage, security barriers, bollards, baggage carousels, escalators, elevators, terminal building furniture, façade, claddings, kiosks, telephone booths, etc.

With the ever-increasing passenger traffic, CSMIA has taken several measures to tackle airport congestion in order to optimise the aircraft turnaround time.
CSMIA Spokesperson

In non-coastal cities, 304 grade is the preferred choice because of its excellent resistance to corrosion, along with increased weldability.
K K Pahuja, President, ISSDA

According to the present environment issues where mass infrastructure like airports act as energy guzzlers we need to design airports which are low energy need-built forms.
Prof. Charanjit Singh Shah (Founding Principal) and Ar. Gurpreet Shah (Principal Architect), Creative Group

In the coming times, technology must be taken in the grip to ensure a great passenger experience.
Harsh Varshneya, Director,STHAPATI Associates

The new software systems will work best when accompanied by upgraded airport infrastructure.
Ar. S.K. Goel,Conarch Architects

The risk management team with the right equipment, technology and right reporting lines helps make the airport resilient.
Niraj Bhatia, Head Strategy, Procurement and Contracts, Viiking BuildInfra Pvt Ltd

With changing technology, a significant amount of ticketing space has now become unused, and can be used as a resource for future development.
Ar. Surinder Bahga, Sakaar Foundation

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