The Dubai Government selected Bechtel to design, manage and complete Dubai International Airport construction project for improved airport operations. The ten-year plan called for a massive and widely varied set of components, including a satellite concourse with 28 gates, 42 loading bridges, and 221 check-in counters —1.3 million square feet (120,770 square meters) in all, duty-free and specialty shops, a 100-room, five-star luxury hotel, conference, business and entertainment centers, and restaurants.
Bechtel served as designer, project manager, and construction manager for the airport and runway system, terminals, access roadways, parking facilities, and a cargo complex. The airport is a focal-point for the growth of business and tourism throughout the United Arab Emirates. The cargo and free-trade-zone complex earned the International Cargo Airport Forum’s Best Cargo Airport award. Nearly 13,000 metric tons of steel was used to construct the frame of the new concourse.
A 10-year plan for a massive upgrade
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Innovative CADD improved the Dubai International Airport
Design efforts set new standards in the use of computer technology and complex simulations to develop alternatives, provide for more informed decision-making, explore operations issues, and improve public outreach. We planned all construction activities to minimize the impact on existing airport operations.
Using Bechtel’s worldwide computer network, a highly skilled team completed all architectural design using state-of-the-art computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) and document tracking systems. Our network facilitated design review and electronic exchange of CADD design drawings among Bechtel offices worldwide (including San Francisco, London, and New Delhi) and the project team in Dubai, increasing speed and accuracy.
Virtual reality simulations aided decision-making, allowing our customer to experience the result during the design stage. Automated simulation studies also helped establish planning and design criteria for aircraft movement and passenger flow.
Bechtel’s use of 3-D modeling enabled the project team to run electronic interference—checking, for example, on ductwork, baggage systems, and structural steel. It enabled us to identify problems during the design process rather than during the construction phase, when addressing such issues typically costs a lot of time and money.
Decades of continuous service
Bechtel first teamed with the Government of Dubai on airport renovation and expansion in 1977, and has been at work ever since. More than 100 projects have been completed by Bechtel in the United Arab Emirates since 1962.
Construction facts
- Major aprons and taxiways to support the new satellite concourse
- A charter terminal that handles more than 500 passengers per hour
- A new 13,000-foot (4,000-meter) runway and taxi system, including state-of-the-art navigational aids and computerized airfield lighting systems
- A cargo and free-trade-zone complex
- A new automated baggage handling system
- A new air traffic control tower, a fuel farm, a central utility plant, fire stations, and associated airside facilities