Infrastrutture

Asiat-Darse Bridge by Counterspace

Counterspace’s response to the brief uncovered the story and legacy of Paul Panda Farnana, one of the most important, yet least acknowledged figures of the city, who epitomises the region’s complex relationships with past and future generations of migrant bodies and communities.

Vally looked to the water architectures of the Congo as one of the starting points to honour this history. Along the Congo River, fleets of dugout canoes are frequently seen docked alongside one another. As a collective, they form a communal platform, from which trading and gathering can take place.

These images form the basis for the proposed Asiat-Darse bridge, itself a place of gathering of travellers, whether commuters or visitors. The bridge is constructed of a series of boats tied together to cross the canal.

Vally looked at plants and species to honour Farnana’s horticultural work. Each ‘boat’ form serves as an isolated seed bed, in which specific plants can be cultivated in order for their seeds to be spread on the wind, and carried on the bodies of people travelling across the bridge. As a result, the bridge pays homage to Farnana’s horticultural work, serving as a nursery, or seeding bed from which plants may distribute themselves, migrating across the site.

In addition to the main structure, several smaller boat structures are proposed, which embed themselves along the river bank. Each of them will be named for the labourers whose names were included on the register from the Congo, which the studio discovered in their research. Every boat will act as a pollinator - pollinating an industrial zone and acting as a little garden for reflection for passers-by to rest in.

Counterspace’s submission was supported with the generous engineering expertise of AKT II.

Construction is expected to start in April 2024, with a completion date of December 2025.

The Asiat-Darse bridge is a project of the city of Vilvoorde and Horst Arts & Music. It is financed by Platform Kunst in Opdracht of the Flemish Department for Culture, Youth and Media, and ANB, the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forest, who partnered with DVW, the Flemish Agency for Waterways. Curator Heidi Ballet is artistic advisor of the project.

Rendering by Counterspace.

"Solar Wind" Airport Business Lounge by VOX Architects
Striving for solar wind

Business task

The superior comfort lounge of the new terminal of Novy Urengoy airport, designed by VOX Architects studio, helps passengers soak up the atmosphere of a unique natural phenomenon — Aurora Borealis(Northen Lights), that can now be observed not only in the night sky, but also inside the airport.

Despite the fact that business lounge is on the first floor in the departure area, this space has no windows to observe a panoramic view of the flight strip. VOX Architects team reinterpreted this significant feature and, with the help of an airy architectural volume, turned the dense darkness into the mystery of the polar night with shimmering “Northern Lights".

Space planning

The architectural installation is not merely a decoration, it also zones the space, organizing passenger flows in it and creating private zones for comfortable waiting for boarding. It is an elaborate ergonomic and artistic planning solution.

"Nothern Lights" consists of ribbon-like canvases made of aluminum chains fixed under a seven-meter ceiling. They encircle a massive column in the center of the hall, its cross-rod structure is a part of the complex ceiling structure of the airport. The lighting is designed to hide the bulky structure and the space under the ceiling in shade, while the functional areas are, on the contrary, highlighted and accentuated with the radiance of the falling metal curtains.

At the entrance to the lounge, there is a reception desk. The bar and cafe are highlighted with hanging lamps tilted to create a certain rhythm: here one can sit in the open or hide away in a niche nearby, designed in warm sunny colors and highlighted with light lines.

The cafe and bar are separated with transparent curtain of aluminum chains from the island with a counter around the column. Passengers can sit on a bar stool, charge a phone or tablet. For those who feel more comfortable waiting for boarding at tables, there are cozy armchairs and sofa-alcoves made of noise-absorbing material with sockets and chargers for gadgets. Floor lamps contribute to the atmosphere of coziness with their user-adjustable reflected light system. The airy metal curtains not only separate the zones visually, but also acoustically, muting noises.

Nearby there is a group of sofas: it is fenced off by another wave of the aurora borealis and a volume of light corian, that complements the central island.

The passengers who might need a more intimate environment may use alcoves along the wall. They are separated from the open space by frosted glass partitions.

Design concept

The underlying idea of all the interiors created by VOX Architects is a visual image characteristic of a particular project. It can be based on the architectural, geographical or historical context.

Thus, the aurora borealis, which can be observed in the permafrost regions, is a key visual solution for the airport business lounge project in Novy Urengoy. The architects were inspired by the fascinating optical natural phenomenon — luminescence in the upper layers of the atmosphere, which occurs when magnetic fields interact with high-speed charged particles of the plasma layer of the Sun, the "solar wind".

The cascading architectural volume of aluminum chains brings associations with ribbons of light in the night sky, pulsating in sync with the lines of force of the Earth's magnetic field. The threads of the metal canvases are colored to create the effect of radiance and shimmering, characteristic of the local northern lights. It is enhanced with linear light tubes, creating the necessary rhythmic pattern.

The polar night ambience is achieved with the dark walls lined with stemalite: tempered glass panels visually expand the confined space, adding depth and mystery. Spot ceiling lights make the image of a starry night sky complete, while the warmer shades of the built-in contour lights remind of the Sun origins of Aurora borealis.

Over a short stay in the business lounge before the takeoff, passengers get an unforgettable experience of a unique natural phenomenon, and it will hold a special place in their heart for long.

PICS BY:Dmitry Chebanenko

IRD Engineering è una società di ingegneria italiana leader che offre soluzioni complete in tutto il mondo per un’ampia gamma di sistemi infrastrutturali.

Il progetto: Assistenza tecnica alle ferrovie ucraine per sostenere l’attuazione del progetto di modernizzazione ferroviaria dell’Ucraina

Contratto per la fornitura di assistenza tecnica a Ukrzaliznytsia (Società per azioni “Ferrovie ucraine”) durante l’attuazione del Progetto di ammodernamento ferroviario, un programma di investimento da 306 milioni di euro cofinanziato con due prestiti della Banca europea per gli investimenti e della Banca europea per la ricostruzione e lo sviluppo e con una sovvenzione dell’Unione europea.

Il progetto consiste nell’elettrificazione graduale di 253 chilometri di linee ferroviarie, comprendenti la sezione Dolynska – Mykolaiv (Fase I, con una lunghezza totale di 148 km, inclusa una nuova linea ad alta tensione con 2 sottostazioni) e la sezione Mykolaiv – Kolosivka (Fase II, con una lunghezza totale di 105 km), insieme all’ammodernamento di tutti i sistemi di segnalazione e telecomunicazione. I lavori saranno consegnati attraverso tre contratti a gara internazionale e uno a gara locale, utilizzando le condizioni del Libro Rosa FIDIC.

Fornire tutti i tipi di supporto tecnico e di approvvigionamento all’Ukrzaliznytsia durante l’attuazione del contratto, con un ruolo di consulenza per aiutare a rispettare tutte le scadenze nell’attuazione del progetto, nonché per valutare eventuali reclami e ordini di variazione, e per monitorare e riferire sulla conformità del progetto a tutti i requisiti dei finanziatori, come tutte le disposizioni di salvaguardia ambientale e sociale.


Cliente:
Ukrzaliznytsia (Società per azioni “Ferrovie ucraine”)

Paese:
Ucraina

Area di pratica:
Infrastrutture di trasporto

Servizi:
Assistenza tecnica e sviluppo delle capacità

Cable car stations Gaislachkogl by Obermoser arch-omo zt gmbh

In no other area, optimum safety and reliability are as crucial and mandatory, as in passenger transportation systems. for cable cars, the requirements are particularly high, because they must bridge difficult, hard-to-travel areas. deep valleys, rugged rocks, often steep mountain faces must be crossed over large distances. fast and safely, in order to offer an unforgettable nature experience to the user. everything that turns, moves and transports loads – whether people or cargo – is exposed to a constant process of wear and tear. despite the most conscientious maintenance, the ravages of time cannot be stopped.
the constructive design solution for the three cable car stations – in the valley, in the middle and on the mountain – reminds of the ease and timeless elegance of an enormous, full length cut open spiral spring. statically safely anchored, the parts nestle against the rocky mountain, and, in the great landscape, they seem as if they were floating.
a successful symbiosis with the cars sliding through the landscape on strong ropes. this impression is obtained by the fact that the buildings and their self-supporting structural steelworks have been covered and strung with a transparent diaphragm. when it gets dark, the stations send nightly signals into the village and into the skiing area. through light installations especially developed for this project, the impression of giant sculptures in the
shape of bright lanterns develops.
the powerful constructions seem light as a feather, due to their characteristics. the user is part of the impressive nature from the outset. industrial architecture in the middle of nature presents a completely new world of shapes. the building mass of this highly complex technology is distributed and packed into minimum space by cubature retrenchment. the transparent cover, in connection with light, makes the activities in the station visible and experienceable to everyone. thus, by optimal grading of all object-relevant functions, the scarce basic resources could be used very economically.
the spectacular organisation of the design elements with its cover strung over it, does not allow for major snow loads or dirt to settle on the station construction. this, of course, is a welcome benefit. altogether a prime example for target oriented.

PICS BY: Bstieler

Tramway Terminal in Venice by Map Studio

Il quadrante ovest di Venezia, è quello che è stato interessato, nel corso dell’ottocento e del novecento, da interventi legati ad un’idea di modernizzazione della città. Il ponte ferroviario di collegamento con la terraferma ed i grandi edifici industriali e produttivi, non solo hanno caratterizzato complessivamente l’intera area quale luogo delle attrezzature, ma ne hanno conferito una scala “altra” rispetto al tessuto consolidato. In particolare con la realizzazione del ponte automobilistico che negli anni 1932-33 affianca quello ferroviario, viene pianificato il vasto terminale di Piazzale Roma che occupa parte dei giardini Papadopoli che vengono frazionati in due parti con l’apertura del Rio Novo.

Sebbene caratterizzato dalla presenza dell’importante autorimessa razionalista di Eugenio Miozzi, Piazzale Roma non mantiene una configurazione stabile e duratura, ma è oggetto di concorsi e di diverse revisioni della circolazione viaria, fino alla realizzazione della recente configurazione nella quale viene inserito l’arrivo della nuova linea tramviaria Venezia - Mestre.

In questo ambito dilatato e connotato da un carattere prevalentemente funzionale, nell’ultimo decennio, si sono affacciate architetture con forte valenza urbana quale il ponte della Costituzione e il grande volume della Cittadella della Giustizia generata dal recupero della manifattura Tabacchi.

In questo spazio complesso e marcato da uno sviluppo quasi esclusivamente incrementale, il progetto riconosce la necessità, in occasione del compimento di una nuova infrastruttura, di provvedere alla definizione di un elemento ordinatore. L’intervento prevede la realizzazione di una copertura sulla banchina mediana della nuova linea tramviaria per il riparo dell’utenza in attesa di salire sul tram. La copertura è concepita quale elemento nella cui definizione non prevalga solo la dimensione orizzontale strettamente funzionale, ma in grado di definire l’ambito dell’attesa attraverso un elemento volumetricamente caratterizzato, una sorta di stanza all’aperto. L’elemento si configura come una trave cava a sezione rettangolare, lunga 32,50 m, sostenuta da un unico appoggio centrale. Internamente vengono alloggiati tutti gli elementi tecnologici di segnaletica, mentre esternamente è rivestito in lastre di acciaio verniciato opaco a polveri con tonalità scura. Alla sera l’elemento definisce un ambito molto luminoso in grado di orientare i flussi di utenti, mentre all’esterno tre elementi luminosi regolati reciprocamente da precisi rapporti proporzionali, commentano la natura di capolinea della fermata della nuova linea di collegamento Mestre-Venezia.



Progettisti
Map Studio – Magnani Pelzel Architetti Associati

Collaboratori/ assistants
Matteo Sirinati

Consulenti per strutture ed impianti/ consultants
Luigi Cocco
Sergio Rigato

Piano Sicurezza
Antonio Girello

Fotografo/photo
Alessandra Bello

Danjiang Bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects
Taipei / Taiwan / 2024

The Sinotech Engineering Consultants and Leonhardt, Andrä & Partner joint venture with Zaha Hadid Architects has won the international competition to design the new Danjiang Bridge in Taipei for the Directorate General of Highways, Taiwan, R.O.C. Located at the mouth of Tamsui River that flows through the capital Taipei, the Danjiang Bridge is integral to the infrastructure upgrading program of northern Taiwan. The bridge will increase connectivity between neighbourhoods and reduce through-traffic on roads within local town centres by linking the Highways 2 and 15, with the West Coast Expressway (Route 61) and Bali-Xindian Expressway (Route 64). By also reducing traffic from the congested Guandu Bridge upriver, the Danjiang Bridge will greatly improve the northern coast traffic system and enhance accessibility throughout the region with the rapidly expanding Port of Taipei/Taipei Harbour, the region’s busiest shipping port. The Danjiang Bridge will also allow for the extension of Danhai Light Rail Transportation (DHLRT) system over the Tamsui River to connect the town of Bali and the Port/ Harbour with Taipei’s public rail network. The Tamsui River estuary is a natural environment flanked by the urban centres of Tamsui to the East and Bali to the west. The estuary is rapidly growing in popularity with both residents and tourists as a recreational area where people gather each day to watch the sun setting over the Taiwan Strait. The cable-stayed bridge design minimises its visual impact by using only one concrete structural mast to support the 920m road, rail and pedestrian deck made from steel. The Danjiang Bridge will be the world’s longest single-tower, asymmetric cablestayed bridge. The mast is designed and engineered to be as slender as possible and positioned to offer the best structural performance, avoid impeding the navigability of the river and also minimise any interference with the views of the sunset from popular viewing points along the river. This singlemast design also minimizes structural elements in the riverbed in accordance with the increased protection programs of the estuary’s ecosystems.

The Sinotech Engineering Consultants and Leonhardt, Andrä & Partner joint venture with Zaha Hadid Architects placed first in the competition. CECI and Nippon Engineering Consultants placed second; Aecom Asia and Resources Engineering Services placed third, MAA Group and Cowi placed fourth, with Oriental Consultants with Pacific Engineers & Constructors and Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants and Pacific Consultants with Taiwan Engineering Consultants and Yuang Engineering Consultants placing joint fifth.

Pics by: Danjiang Bridge by Zaha Hadid Architects, render by MIR

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Terminal

KL AIR is to design the large new terminal at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The Departures and Arrivals Hall that welcomes 14 million travellers a year will be ready in 2023. KL AIR is further supported by DGMR, Arnout Meijer Studio and Planeground. The design proposal submitted to the international competition scored the most points on all criteria. The inspiration behind the design is Schiphol itself and the ethos that has shaped the airport over the past 50 years: functionality, user overview and attention to detail, all well-integrated in an atmosphere of calmness, distinction and practicality. In what could be said to define the essence of Schiphol’s DNA, space, light and wide open views have been given priority over architectural form. The design submission defers to the airport’s sobriety and the ‘one terminal’ concept, including transfers free of check-out and check-in and automatic baggage transfers for passengers. The understated Modernist glamour of the 1967 terminal fired the imagination, in particular the interior work of Dutch designer Kho Liang Ie (1927-1975). With this shining example in mind, the design proposal by KL AIR sets a new standard, appropriate for different times and different conditions. The building’s structure will be only minimally seen and appear as the most logical of bones. Not a single column will block the space. The façade columns and certain functional areas in the building will bear the load of the roof. Its openness will facilitate any future changes, which speaks of its architectural sustainability. The new terminal’s architectural quality is to be found in its layers of opposites: it is a practically organized and user-friendly place yet also offers a grand, atmospheric and light-filled space for a pleasant experience. The everyday and the extraordinary merge to create an exceptionally welcoming space. The traveller experience is central to the design, both in individual and crowd terms. Overviews, ease of movement, natural daylight and a generous sense of space greet not only departing passengers, but arriving passengers too are given views, comfort and a pleasant spatiality. Rather than exiting onto a street somewhere under a flyover, arriving passengers will be streamlined after customs through a spacious hall for baggage reclaim, be treated to natural daylight and a view of the Departures Hall, and be welcomed to the urban outdoors at the Jan Dellaertplein facing Schiphol Plaza and the underground train station. Situated at the centre of the hall is a large plateau. Departing passengers will rise to the plateau level while those waving them off stay below. From the raised platform travellers will be surprised by the spaciousness of the terminal and the views afforded by the large glass façades, initially of the landside and, higher up, of the airside with its airplanes and extensive views of big skies and the polder landscape. After automatic baggage processing and the check-in desks, the security checks will take place in an area of warm wooden floors and large light wells filled with lush greenery, creating a more relaxed atmosphere. Apart from creating a natural division of users, which helps to avoid unnecessary crowding, the raised Departures floor also creates another advantage. The plateau makes a dual-level intersection possible, so that both departing and arriving passengers can enjoy a scenic route through the terminal. The plateau furthermore gives leeway to baggage handling underneath it, which is an important aspect for Schiphol as a major stop-over airport. The terminal’s ambiance, something that has a positive effect on people’s experience of the place, is largely determined by the light. The ceiling and roof of the high, central section is a veritable crown of light, spanning 180 x 150 meters and providing travellers with access to local light, day and night. It is a latticework of squares topped by glass panels and supported by mansized box girders that gradually change shape in the transition from wall to ceiling, creating openings that appear equally square. Travellers can look out to the sky as though peering through an ultra-thin membrane. Tried and tested technical facilities inside the casings of the ceiling provide opportunities to vary the colour, nuance and optical effects of the light. The glazed frontage and the light-infused ceiling underscore the typically Dutch character of the terminal. And they embody the low horizons and big cloud-filled skies of those Dutch Golden Age paintings.

Design: 2017
Start construction: 2020
Completion: 2023
GFA: 100,500 sqm
Capacity: approx. 14 mln. passengers

Aegean Business Lounge by k-studio

The new venue of Aegean Airlines was conceived drawing inspiration from the humble sculptural folk architecture of the Cyclades, reflecting on the cutting edge technology of airplanes, and was crowned with a sense of comfort, as originally seen in the air travelling world.

Curved, soft edges and shapes of flow interpreted in the deep aegean sea blue convey the aesthetics and the dynamic of technology, borrowed from the culture of air travelling.

Anodised inox as a primary material brought the two worlds of aeronautical design and fluid-form architecture together: the cutting edge technology is infused with the symbolic dimension of the deep aegean blue. Curved panel segments create a consistent continuous envelope for the entire lounge, while a deep white aluminum-louver ceiling crowns it with an equally complex geometry. Beyond the compositional harmony of its design, this ceiling also contributes functionally in the zoning and acoustic comfort of the space, thus reinforcing the sense of tranquility and relaxation in the lounge, simulating the sensation of flying over the clouds. It also practically embodies all the necessary mechanical equipment, without disrupting the visual impact of the composition. Tinted blue glass also joins the palette, in order to embrace all tech features such as screens, in a fully contemporary aesthetic approach.

The selection of furniture brings an extra layer of comfort and domesticity, with craftsmanship and well-madeness embracing the passengers for a high-end hospitality experience.

Fine details, craftsmanship and elegance resonate the design ethos of Aegean Airlines in offering its passengers a quality experience, to complement its new identity.

pics by: BREBA PHOTOGRAPHY - Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann

Banyuwangi International Airport - Architect Andra Matin

Shunning the standardised international style of most airports, this domestic airport embraces a context-conscious design approach. Serving over 1,100 passengers daily, it caters to the hot climate through a large-scale, contemporary interpretation of vernacular passive design principles. Openings and overhangs are optimised for temperature control through natural ventilation and shading. A continuous arrangement from landscape to interior space helps airflow, with lush plantings bringing nature inside the building. The roof is in two sections to distinguish departure and arrival halls, both inspired by traditional Indonesian forms. Its hipped shapes provide a thermal void, and its grass covering further insulation. Daylight inlets on ceilings and façades are filtered through ulin-wood shutters. Materials were selected for local availability, functionality and low-cost maintenance.

Pics by Aga Khan Trust for Culture / Mario Wibowo (photographer)
Location: Blimbingsari / Indonesia

Nuovo terminal passeggeri nel porto di Bari di AdSPMAM

Partiranno a breve i lavori per il nuovo terminal passeggeri sulla banchina 10 del porto di Bari. Lo spazio servirà ad accogliere il traffico crocieristico. Il Presidente dell'AdSPMAM (Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mare Adriatico Meridionale), Ugo Patorni Griffi, e il Procuratore speciale del Consorzio fra Cooperative di Produzione e Lavoro -Cons. Coop.- Società Cooperativa, hanno sottoscritto il contratto di appalto per l'opera.
Il valore complessivo è di 8 milioni di euro e vedrà l'esecuzione di lavori per la creazione di un nuovo terminal passeggeri per navi da crociera e traghetti che sostituirà le strutture tensostatiche e un prefabbricato leggero, attualmente utilizzati. Previste anche aree esterne di pertinenza dello stesso terminal, sulla banchina 10, Molo di Ponente del porto di Bari.
“Stiamo presentando il nuovo terminal e le sue peculiarità architettoniche alle maggiori Compagnie presenti al Seatrade Cruise Global 2023, la più importante fiera mondiale per il settore crocieristico,- commenta il Presidente di AdSPMAM Ugo Patroni Griffi- le reazioni sono entusiastiche. Poter contare su un’infrastruttura per l’accoglienza dei passeggeri così avveniristica e funzionale ci consentirà di moltiplicare considerevolmente i volumi di traffico. I riscontri che stiamo ottenendo in questi giorni, infatti, vanno addirittura ben oltre le nostre più rosee aspettative- conclude il Presidente- e certificano ancora una volta come gli indicatori di impatto economico, sul territorio, siano significativamente influenzati dal potenziamento infrastrutturale”.
L'Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mare Adriatico Meridionale, evidenzia in una nota che "la stagione crocieristica 2025 sarà ospitata nel nuovo terminal, una struttura all'avanguardia che coprirà un'area di circa 3.000 mq e che si distinguerà per la sua versatilità."

Il progetto sarà sviluppato dall'AdSPMAM e vedrà l'impiego di materiali e tecniche costruttive all'avanguardia per un edificio che sia sostenibile e a risparmio energetico, in linea con i principi dell'architettura bioclimatica. L'obiettivo finale è rendere l'edificio altamente performante e che esso sia anche in armonia con l'ambiente e sostenibile a livello ecologico.

Porto Cruise Terminal by Luís Pedro Silva, Arquitecto

Porto Cruise Terminal is a small port complex, initiative of the Administração dos Portos do Douro e Leixões, located at the South jetty in Matosinhos., Portugal. The definition of a new cruise terminal had since its origin a double objective: improvement of the commercial efficiency and a better urban integration. That’s why the project integrates new buildings, berthing work and exterior spaces of public vocation. The main building magnetizes the complex sheltering several programmatic components: cruise ship terminal, marina facilities, the Science and Technology Park of the Sea of the University of Porto, event rooms and a restaurant.
It’s being implemented by stages. It is now functional for cruises ships, with the street and marina still remaining.
The proposal is largely dependent on the main building that is located within the Atlantic Ocean, 750 meters away from Matosinhos city and 10 km away via river-sea or road from Oporto Ribeira, the most requested turistic point. It constitutes a node between the 3 main functions: the new cruise ship quay, the new marina, and the new street linking to the city. It receives and sends dispatchers and addressees of this three “motivations” as it includes in the sea side the departure/arrivals rooms and marina facilities, and in the land side the Science and Technology Park of the Sea of the University of Porto and other functions.
Enchanted by the jetty's curve and by this intermediary commitment and role, it enlaces the curved blades generating and prolonging itself in the form of 3 main exterior tentacles and a fourth falling inwards, in an helical ramp connecting the internal functions within a quadruple height space.
The building is not very large, mostly when compared with the cruise ships it can shelter. From the beach side, one can realize that its place is clearly inside Leixões port, in such a manner that it faces towards the jetty, not revealing any openings and declaring a mysterious blind façade. The cover and the blade, summit and tilted, grant its personality profile. From faraway the building is read by its volumetry and by the sinuous white with all its nuances regarding light and atmosphere variation. Closely the arches and its texture appeal to proximity, involve movements and the body, inviting the look and the touch. At the accessible cover, the land and the ocean meet and distend the soft broadness that the calm eye can reach.

Pics by FG+SG Fernando Guerra

Urban elevator in Bellavista by JIGA Arquitectura

Bellavista is a neighborhood in the municipality of Les Franqueses del Valles located on a small hill. Several facilities such as a school, an institute, a cultural center and a sports area are located in the highest part of Bellavista, while the residential area is located in the lower part. The main access route to the facilities passes through the Paisos Catalans park, where we find long pedestrian ramps and many steps, without having a comfortable and adapted solution to overcome the great unevenness.

The purpose of the order is to build an elevator that allows optimal accessibility between the upper and lower parts of the Paisos Catalans park, thus bridging a height difference of 10 meters in height and more than 20 meters horizontally.

The project as a whole consists of a vertical shaft where the elevator is located, a walkway and the urbanization of the lower and upper reception spaces. The intervention fits into the environment carefully, avoiding having to cut down any existing trees.

A 30-degree turn of the elevator shaft with respect to the axis of the walkway allows for a small raised viewpoint in front of the upper door from where privileged views of the park can be enjoyed. This small gesture also adapts to the urbanization present in the lower area, placing the elevator shaft in the same direction as one of the existing retaining walls.

Both the elevator shaft and the walkway have been built with a carefully modulated laminated steel structure, made in a workshop and finished with reflective glass. The pavement of the walkway has been made with prefabricated perforated sheet metal, thus solving the evacuation of rainwater and contributing to the lightness of the construction. A high degree of prefabrication has been sought for the structural design and the rest of the construction elements, as well as the optimization of the sections to lighten their weight and cost.

Photo Credits: Davide Pellegrini

Atkins provided full multidisciplinary design and management of the civil works on Dubai Metro. This included geotechnical and site investigations, bored tunnels, viaducts and bridges, route alignment, depots and additional specialist services such as fire and ventilation, environmental impact, concrete durability, noise and vibration reduction and landscaping.

The first line of the Dubai Metro opened to the public on 09 September 2009. It is the longest automated, driverless system in the world and it has eased traffic congestion by improving mobility throughout Dubai.

A key challenge has been to integrate the specialist skills from Atkins' international offices to work with our local presence on this tightly programmed project. Another challenge was to tackle the project in a carbon-critical way. Our approach resulted in less glass and more insulation than the original designs. Our recommendations saved just over 500m3 of aluminium and a saving of approximately 12,900t (CO2-e) and reduced estimated peak cooling load by around 35%.

Photo Credits: Aedas, Atkins

London City Airport expansion by Bechtel

The five-year contract will see Bechtel partnering to manage delivery of the £480 million City Airport Development Programme (CADP). The CADP includes: expanding the existing terminal by 24,500m2 and completely reconfiguring its internals and externals; constructing a three-storey passenger pier; creating eight new aircraft stands; and constructing a new parallel aircraft taxiway. The expansion work will require working within the King George V Dock where the project team has uncovered unexploded ordnance from World War II.
The upgrade will improve air traffic movements from 38 to 45 movements per hour and enable increased annual passenger movements from 4.5 to 6.5 million passengers by 2025. Additionally, the programme will help future-proof the airport to accommodate the next generation of aircraft that are quieter, have longer range and greater fuel efficiency.
The Airport will be the first in the UK to introduce remotely operated digital aircraft control system. The team will build a new 50-metre tall digital tower to enable this innovative technology and install 14 high-definition and two pan-tilt-zoom cameras to provide a full 360-degree view of the airfield. The pioneering system, controlled at NATS in Swanwick, will enhance safety and improve resilience, setting a new standard for the global aviation industry.
Bechtel staff will work alongside London City Airport officials as part of an integrated team to overcome the unique challenges of keeping the airport operational; minimising disruption to passengers, airlines and the local community; and keeping to the 20/15 passenger proposition during CADP construction. A fantastic logistical challenge.

Pics: Bechtel.com