DAM IMPRESSIVE

24 // PROJECT
Air-traffic
areas can only
be closed
briefly,
otherwise air
traffic will
be disrupted.
intelligent guidance system? How can you connect an
airport efficiently to other transport systems? What
criteria must contemporary design fulfil? Those are just
some of the questions confronting airport planners, architects
and operators today.
Berlin is expanding its Schönefeld Airport, which is to
become BBI Airport (Berlin-Brandenburg International)
– and which gives us an idea of what the new generation
of airports will look like: functional, modern
industrial architecture, and excellent transport connections
for business travellers, tourists and businesses.
An initial capacity of up to 27 million passengers is
planned for 2012. And, depending on how things progress,
the airport can be expanded to accommodate up
to 45 million passengers. This will enable it to respond
flexibly to varying passenger volumes in the coming
years.
the PReStigiouS teRminal PieR buildingS
Those responsible for building the terminal piers are
drawing on ALPINE’S expertise. In July 2008, ARGE
Bögl/ALPINE, which is part-owned by ALPINE Bau
Deutschland AG, was awarded the contract for building
the shells of the two 350-metre-long north and south
piers. They were erected within the space of a year,
The vast building site at Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport.
from April 2009 to April 2010. The whole BBI project is
due for completion in June 2012.
Apart from the ‘speedy scheduling’, explains Daniel
Gürtler, the construction manager responsible for the
project, it was above all the ‘logistical coordination on
a large-scale building site which presented so many challenges.
The construction of the north and south piers involved
numerous prefabricated steel-reinforced concrete
sections made from class-4 face concrete, as well as a series
of other materials, all of which had to meet the highest
standards.’
eXPeRtS in aiRPoRt ConStRuCtion
New developments in air transport have necessitated
new investments in building infrastructure. Take the
Airbus A380, for example. With a length of 72.3 metres
and a wingspan of 79.8, it is the world’s biggest passenger
aircraft, but it can’t just land at any old airport.
Because of its size, this megajet requires a larger parking
area and additional passenger boarding bridges to
enable swift dispatch.
Years of accumulated experience in the construction of
airports pays off when you have to keep pace with developments
like these. Like Berlin, Frankfurt Airport
fACTS & fIGURES
CONSTRUCTION Of
NORTH AND SOUTH PIERS,
BERLIN-BRANDENBURG
INTERNATIONAL PASSENGER
TERMINAL
Total area of entire terminal complex:
approx. 280,000 sq m
Total area of north and south piers:
each approx. 40,000 sq m
Total interior volume of north and
south piers: 155,000 cu. m
Total height: 14 m
concrete: 28,000 cu. m
Steel: 4,800 t
casing: 140,000 m2
reinforcements: 4,800 t.
Facade: 15,000 sq m
logistics can be especially com-
plex when a building site is the
size of 2,000 football fields – especially
since air traffic is ongoing at
neighbouring Schönefeld Airport.
Ü www.berlin-airport.de