Multi-million-pound airport extension and user-enhancement works
Enhancing the customer experience at one of the UK's most ambitious airports, and improving the eastern apron with specialist civil engineering skills.
Phased development plan
Bristol Airport is one of the UK’s largest airports outside London. To meet customer demand, the airport embarked on a major redevelopment plan to deliver its 2006-2030 Master Plan.
The phased development plan is delivered through 30 separate component projects. We have played a major role on most of these projects including the expansion of the passenger terminal, additional aircraft and passenger car parking, walkways, public transport interchange, fuel storage, office buildings and hotel.
We were appointed to undertake civil and structural design and geotechnical consultancy services for the East Terminal extension, central pier and walkway, as well as various interventions in the existing terminal, including a new executive lounge floor slab, new escalators and stairs in departures, and new stairs within the arrivals lobby. Completed in 2015, the new eastern pier and walkway structure provides access for four new boarding gates and includes a bridge link to the existing terminal and business lounge.
Our role in the West Terminal extension has delivered a three-storey structure incorporating a single storey basement including a new baggage handling area.
Each part of the design and construction process for these projects is complex, necessitating the consideration within the structural design of geotechnical issues around potential solution features and safety requirements for blast resistance.
Other considerations for working airside have included security procedures and restrictions, linking the newly constructed elements with the existing live terminal building, and night time working to minimise the impact of the works on passengers.
The expansion works we have undertaken have enabled the airport to increase its capacity as it manages more passengers than ever before, whilst ensuring a smooth transition through the airport and its component parts for all travellers. Passengers now have a greater choice of retail options and areas to sit and relax in, as well as an overall increase in destinations and flight options.
Eastern Apron Extension Phase 1
Our specialist civil engineers delivered the design of the aircraft pavements and all associated drainage and infrastructure for the c1.7ha Phase 1 extension of the eastern apron at Bristol Airport.
With a design programme that started in December 2017 and resulted in practical completion by May 2019, the project delivered two new aircraft stands suitable for wide-bodied passenger aircraft and associated taxi-lane on the site of the former staff car park as part of the airport’s continued development.
The site is immediately adjacent to the airport’s main entrance and next to the main administration building, so the design and construction project has had a high and very visible profile.
Key to the design of the scheme was to ensure that runway safeguarding was maintained, in particular ensuring that parked aircraft and floodlight masts will not infringe the relevant obstacle limitation surfaces required under European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations.
Our team worked closely with the airport’s trusted suppliers for electrical installations and fixed ground power, floodlighting and security. In addition, we supported the airport in providing drawings and documents to obtain discharge of planning conditions and CAA regulatory approval under CAP791.
Our design included hardstand constructed in pavement quality concrete incorporating significant surface water drainage infrastructure to manage and safely dispose of storm runoff from the pavement into on-site soakaways. Our design of a 5m high acoustic barrier between the aircraft stands and the adjacent airport entrance road ensured compliance with planning requirements.
Our role on the programme also included ground investigations for the site ahead of design and construction. At the construction stage, we were novated to the works contractor, Volker Fitzpatrick, to complete the design and to support and monitor the works through the construction phase.
