Engineering consultancies appointed to Schiphol expansion project
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the largest in the Netherlands, is buckling under the weight of its own success. The airport has served more than 63 million passengers last year, and, to meet future capacity, with services already strained, Schiphol is investing in a new pier and terminal - among various other capital investment projects. Engineering consultancies Mace, Arcadis and Royal HaskoningDHV have won various roles in the delivery of the project.
British consultancy Mace and Dutch firm Arcadis have been awarded a project and construction management contract to manage the delivery of the new pier and terminal at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, as part of the Schiphol Capital Programme. The extensive project will encompass diverse needs from modifications to landside infrastructure and parking facilities, to modifications to the station area, and real estate developments. Royal Haskoning DHV have meanwhile been hired for the project and construction management of all landside reconstruction work.
Schiphol Airport was founded in 1916, and a year after its centenary, the international transport hub has become a victim of its own success, serving 63 million passengers last year alone, processing around 1250 flights per day, relative to the 250 flights it processed in the entirety of 1920. This is creating a considerable burden on its legacy infrastructure, which is leading to delays. The airport recently announced that, as part of its Capital Expenditure project, it will be expanding its operations through the addition of a new pier and terminal.
The airport has subsequently turned to the two engineering and consulting firms, Mace and Arcadis, to provide a variety of services to the overall project pier and terminal projects. Mace has been hired to provide project management and construction management for the two projects – working with Arcadis on the pier in a joint venture structure, while for the terminal the firm will provide delivery management, with Arcadis hired to provide additional support. Both firms leverage extensive global experience in airport development. Mace has been active in various projects, including, among others, in Angola, while Arcadis managed expansion at Manchester Airport, among others.
The pier represents a three-storey, 50,000m2, space, extending out with five wide body gates on both sides, and will be able to accommodate six narrow body aircraft on its south side, with a planned delivery date of December 2019. The new terminal, meanwhile, will include a departure and arrival hall, as well as other features of operations, including operational, commercial and baggage handling facilities. The terminal will boost the airports capacity by around 14 million passengers per year, with a size of around 100,000m2. The new terminal is slated for operation by 2023. Finally, the landside reconstruction work will include additional parking capacity, a temporary connection to the surface level to increase capacity during the work, and the expansion of elevated roads for Kiss & Ride and service roads to the new terminal.
Peter Oosterveer, Arcadis' recently appointed CEO, said, "Our ability to draw on global capabilities to offer truly integrated solutions once again proves that our global strategy helps us in winning new business for the firm. Our regional knowledge and local expertise and the fact that we know Amsterdam Schiphol Airport well from other projects that we have performed on or around the airport, makes Arcadis ideally suited for this exciting project."
Commenting on the firm’s role in the expansion efforts, Jason Millett, Mace’s Chief Operating Officer for Consultancy, said, “Mace has a proud record of delivery in the aviation sector, as well as a growing global reputation as a major British exporter of construction services. Realistically, there aren’t many companies in the world that are able to deliver complex and challenging infrastructure programmes like this. That Schiphol has chosen a British construction company for this role represents is a big vote of confidence in our national ability to deliver at this level.”
Remarking on the firm's relationship with Schiphol, which dates back to the 1960s, Erik Oostwegel, CEO Royal HaskoningDHV meanwhile stated, “We are proud to be collaborating with Schiphol Group to create the next generation airport that will see Schiphol ready to take on new challenges.
