As airports grow and modernize to meet consumer expectations and accommodate technological advances, they face the challenge of maximizing their ability to make improvements while minimizing the impact a major construction program will have on customers and day-to-day operations. Since comprehensive airport-improvement projects require years of construction, it’s critical to avoid costly shutdowns, disruptions and delays for airlines and passengers whenever possible.
For some airports, that solution has been found in modular construction. As an emerging trend for airports, assembling offsite modular buildings holds the promise of limiting closures due to construction while shortening construction time compared to traditional construction methods.
A Major Case Study
Indhira Figuereo-Blaney, senior vice president and national aviation market leader at WSP, has a front-row view of one of the most-important U.S. airport projects involving modular construction: the expansion of Concourse D at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta. WSP is serving as program manager for the City of Atlanta’s Department of Aviation on its ATLNext expansion project.
On average, 286,000 passengers pass through Hartsfield-Jackson airport every day, and that number will continue to rise during the coming years. It serves as a connection to more than 150 U.S. destinations and more than 70 international destinations. Concourse D currently contains 40 gates and serves 16 domestic airlines.
When the expansion is completed in 2029, Concourse D will expand from 60 feet to 99 feet and lengthened by an additional 288 feet. The gates will be designed to accommodate larger aircraft as well as provide 20-percent-more seating in its waiting areas and additional concessions. The objective is to make the airport experience more comfortable and accommodating for passengers.
“Airport officials faced a big decision on the best way to construct this expansion and make sure that it did not affect revenue for the airline and the airport,” says Figuereo-Blaney. “If you have to decommission a concourse for construction, it’ll be out of service for quite a while. Airlines were understandably concerned about that prospect.”
After our ATLNext team studied multiple options and evaluated how other airports—such as Manchester Airport’s “kit of parts” approach in the UK—were introducing modular construction to successfully address similar concerns, the team recommended utilizing the modular method for Concourse D expansion.
“Manchester built everything offsite and then rolled the modules into the places where they were needed,” explains Figuereo-Blaney. “That is what we are doing onsite at Hartsfield-Jackson, which is expected to save two or three years of construction.”
While Hartsfield-Jackson isn’t the first use of the modular construction technique in the United States, it hasn’t been attempted at this scale. But as the world’s busiest airport, there’s significant interest in watching its progress and seeing if it delivers on its promise.
How’s it going? So far, so good.
Shortly after midnight on April 24, 2024, the first module was transported from the nearby construction site to Hartfield-Jackson’s 44-year-old Concourse D. Despite a four-hour deadline to complete the journey, the trip took a little over an hour. Watch a two-minute video of that first module move at bit.ly/3Mz9gJi.
While modular construction is poised to become a game changer at many airports, it’s not necessarily applicable for every airport project. The following are three things that airport decision-makers must consider when determining if modular construction is right for their project:
1. How quickly do you need the project completed?
If time is of the essence for stakeholders, Figuereo-Blaney believes modular construction should be a high priority.
In the case of Atlanta, airport officials sought input from airlines to consider their business needs for the expansion, and their concerns became the driving factor in finding a way to shorten the construction timetable with minimal disruption to operations.
“Modular construction is not necessarily a less-expensive option on the capital expenditures front, but it is on the operational expenditure side of the overall cost of renovation,” notes Figuereo-Blaney. “It’s just condensed into less time, so the tenants in the concourse can start work and sell concessions, while airlines can get flights out of those gates much earlier than what they would have expected.”
A shorter timeline also means some capital costs will arrive sooner than they would with the longer schedule of a traditional build. But if consensus favors earlier completion, modular offers the best opportunity to meet that objective.
2. Is there land available nearby to support modular construction?
For modular construction to be viable, there must be available space reasonably close to the expansion site. It also needs a clear, reliable path to the site to ensure consistent transport of each building segment.
Ideally, airports will use land on their property, as leasing nearby land adds to the cost of this operation. The space would need to be accessible by construction vehicles while avoiding general airport traffic. It requires storage space for materials and a safe assembly area. Hartsfield-Jackson has a six-acre site on its facility to handle fabrication of the 19 modules for the expansion.
“All logistical matters need to be vetted before making the decision,” adds Figuereo-Blaney. “Will any runways or taxiways need to close for this operation, and for how long? What special permits will be needed for performing construction onsite or near the airport?”
Resolving these questions early is critical when facing the third consideration:
3. Will there be resistance to non-traditional construction?
Sometimes exploring new techniques can be unsettling to airlines, airport businesses, airport authorities and other stakeholders who are comfortable with tried-and-true traditional methods of construction. This can make the case for modular construction more challenging.
Anticipating and addressing all possible objections when building a case for modular construction is essential. Those objections might include concerns about durability, limitations in the ability to customize the design or the potential for disrupting other business areas of the facility.
“Modular buildings are as durable as a traditional build,” says Figuereo-Blaney. “And when it comes to customizing the design, anything is possible. The only limitation is how much you are willing to spend.”
If a business case can be made and logistical concerns are addressed, modular construction has an excellent chance to serve as a practical solution for an airport construction project.
“For airports to match the rate at which our cities are growing, I believe this is going to be one of the best ways forward,” adds Figuereo-Blaney.
About Paula Hammond
Paula Hammond is senior vice president and national multimodal market leader, WSP USA; email: paula.hammond@wsp.com.
The post Transportation Troubleshooting: Modular Construction at Airports: Three Key Considerations for Time-Saving Options first appeared on Informed Infrastructure.