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Extension of Warsaw-Okecie International Airport

Extension of Warsaw-Okecie International Airport

 

The consortium formed by the Spanish contractor Ferrovial, its Polish subsidiary Budimex and Estudio Lamela Architects has just laid the foundation stone of the future air transport hub in Central and Eastern Europe: the extension of Warsaw-Okecie International Airport. With a budget of nearly 200 million dollars, the project is one of the largest contracts awarded in Poland in the last years.  
 
The winning project - resulting from an international competition in which the most important European construction firms and design practices participated - is based on the integration of the existing Terminal 1 with a new building (Terminal 2) of approx. 100,000 square meters. 

A hub to handle more than 12 million passengers
The construction of a new 730-m long dock, with a capacity to hold 27 contact positions, will create a single space for the operational hub - the multiple connection centre -, that will multiply by two the current airport capacity up to 12.5 million passengers/year in its final stage.

Additionally, the project includes the execution of various other works on land side, such as new access roads and parking spots for more than 5,500 vehicles.

The new airport´s design is based on the principle of maximum flexibility and modularity, permitting future changes or extensions of the facilities without altering its setup, thus facilitating the adaptation of the airport to both present and future requirements.

Views from all the terminal areas
As pointed out by Estudio Lamela, 'the design criteria applied here were flexibility, spatial clarity and simplicity. The feeling of safety and spaciousness that passengers receive derive from the large and transparent spaces. The plants have been designed to facilitate highly functional passenger flows, by creating a sequence of spaces characterised by their warmth and transparency, visually connected among each other and with the outside world, enabling illumination by natural light during the day in all areas, while taking special care to ensure it is easy for passengers to find their way around.'

In the new terminal building, formed by a metal structure made of 5 million kg. of steel, glazed cladding will be used to cover its main façades, thus allowing visual connection to the outside from the different terminal areas. In the double-storey dock, glazed arrival and transit passageways will be employed, floating on the space like a free-standing element and presenting passengers with amazing views to the terminal inside. 

Operation of the existing terminal during the extension works
The scope of the works includes the construction of the new terminal, as well as the demolition of the existing buildings on the land side, the adaptation of the current infrastructure networks and the enlargement and revamping of the platform (on the air side).

Furthermore, elevated and ground parking lots will be constructed, as well as a bus station and a VIP pavilion, plus several other works in the underground train station. Despite all these interventions, the extension works will guarantee the operating efficiency of the existing terminal.

Materials recycling
The preliminary works required for the execution of the foundation of the new building have already started. In these works, special machinery is being used to demolish the existing aircraft parking platform, with a concrete thickness of approx. 70 cm. According to Ferrovial / Budimex, the materials generated as a result of these demolition works will be processed in a crushing facility to recycle them for subsequent use.

The airport in 2010
Number of passengers: 12.5 million/year
Total area: 155,382 m2
Terminal dimensions: 136 m long and 120 m wide
Dock length: 730 m
Maximum connection time between terminals: <20 minutes
Number of gates: 42
Check-in desks: 72 (T2) + 46 (T1) = 118
Safety filters: 32
Passport control points: 28
Parking places: 5,500