Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) and the joint venture (JV) of TAV, CCC, and Arabtec have today signed an AED 10.8 billion contract for the construction of the Midfield Terminal Building (MTB) at Abu Dhabi International Airport, with opening planned in 2017.

Construction of the 700,000m2 terminal building, one of the world-class infrastructure projects being undertaken in the capital, will commence in the third quarter of this year. 

The project will include two key phases: the 4 year construction phase, followed by the Operational Readiness Assessment phase (ORAT), where during a 9 month period thorough tests of all aspects of the terminal will take place to ensure operational and efficiency readiness from the first day of operation.

Following extensive and ongoing development of the existing airport facilities, the Midfield Terminal Building is the cornerstone of ADAC’s vision to become the world’s leading airport group, delivering highest quality services and infrastructure to serve Abu Dhabi and the world.  ADAC is playing a key strategic and operational role in ensuring that Abu Dhabi’s integrated infrastructure system across air, rail, road and sea has sufficient capacity to cater to the increasing numbers of travelers expected as part of the Emirate’s long-term economic and tourism strategies.

Ali Majed Al Mansoori, chairman of ADAC, said on this announcement,  "Abu Dhabi Airports Company is looking ahead to an exciting five years of growth focusing on increasing traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport and on expanding the airport’s infrastructure to support this growth.  Leading and supervising the delivery of this mega-infrastructure, whilst managing one of the fastest growing airports in the world, is a defining responsibility for the team; a responsibility central to ADAC’s commitment to provide the best for Abu Dhabi, travelers and airlines.”

Designed by lead designer Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) together with Ove Arup, NACO and BNP Associates, the design focused extensively on passenger experience, and meets the highest quality and service standards, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA) level of service ‘A’ - the highest levels of space allocation for passenger processing areas.

During the construction process, the area immediately surrounding the MTB is also being developed to ensure the required infrastructure and facilities are available to support the operation of the MTB in 2017.  These include the aircraft parking stands, terminal roadways, connecting roads to Abu Dhabi/Dubai highway, and utility plants.  Procurement for these projects is currently underway to ensure delivery in phases between 2014 and 2016. 

The MTB is designed to achieve a minimum Two Pearl Rating, following the Urban Planning Council’s Estidama approach towards sustainable design. The project will minimize its impact on the environment, making use of innovative and cutting edge design elements, such as high performance angled glass to reduce heat and increase air-conditioning efficiencies. 

Passenger facilities and duty-free retail will include high-end commercial offerings across more than 18,000 square meters, including internationally renowned luxury goods and designer outlets, and almost 10,000 square meters of international restaurants and cafes, offering a wide range of styles and cuisines. Passenger facilities will also include over 27,500 square meters of airline hospitality lounges, a transit hotel and a heritage and culture museum.

Operational highlights include:

• Piers will accommodate up to 65 aircraft, including the Airbus A-380
• Check-in is capable of handling around 8,500 passengers per hour
• Check-in will provide 165 conventional counters and 48 self-service kiosks
• Baggage system is designed to process over 19,000 bags per hour with over 22 kilometers of conveying lines and 10 reclaim carousels
• 136 security screening lanes for passengers, with a further 25 for staff
• The building will be constructed using approximately 69,000 tons of steel, more than 680,000 cubic meters of concrete, and nearly 500,000 square meters of steel and glass cladding, 135,000 tons of rebar, 360,000 square meters of suspended ceilings and 325,000 square meters of natural stone flooring 

The Midfield Terminal Building

Within the next few years, over twenty million passengers are expected to use Abu Dhabi International Airport as their origin, destination or transit point for international and domestic flights. 

Abu Dhabi Airports Company is tasked with ensuring that the airport is able to provide world-class services which meet this demand over the coming years.  This is part of the Government’s Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, an Emirate-wide strategy to cater for Abu Dhabi’s business and tourism growth.

The centerpiece of ADAC’s multi-billion dirham investment programme is the Midfield Terminal Building (MTB), which will provide a full terminal building (MTB), passenger and cargo facilities, duty free shops and restaurants for an initial capacity of 30 million passengers per year.

Location

The MTC will be located between the airport’s two runways, which also gives the project its name.  This location allows for the shortest possible journey from runway to parking stand, resulting in a quicker and smoother experience for  passengers. 

Terminal buildings

The MTC’s terminal building will be the largest in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and one of the region’s most architecturally impressive structures. It will be 700,000 square metres in size and visible from more than 1.5km away. The central space of the terminal building could hold three full-sized football pitches and features a ceiling 52m tall at its highest point.

The complex will include approximately 27,800 square metres of retail and food and beverage outlets, roughly equivalent to the current size of Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi City.  These are set around an 8,400 square metre indoor park, another first for the region, which will host Mediterranean plants and features at its centre, and desert landscapes at its edge.

Future associated support buildings could extend over an additional 800,000 square metres, and will include access to 16-20 aircraft parking stands (depending on aircraft size) dedicated to cargo.

Development

Developing and delivering the MTC is an international multicultural team, which includes experts that have played critical roles in some of the most important airport developments of recent years, such as Atlanta, Chicago, Singapore’s Changi Airport and London’s Heathrow Terminal 5.

Sustainable design requirements have played an important part in making the MTC an environmentally friendly building, taking into account the Urban Planning Council’s Estidama approach towards sustainable design. The Terminal is designed to minimize its impact on the environment, making use of design elements such as high performance and angled glass facades to reduce heat from entering the building and making air conditioning systems more

efficient while providing natural lighting for interior spaces. Solid cladding has also been integrated in the design, further reducing the solar, thermal impact on the building.

Environmental design initiatives that are being pursued also include water conservation using grey and waste water for irrigation of outdoor plants. The MTC team is working closely with Masdar, whose zero-carbon city is being developed adjacent to the airport. Such collaboration ensures that ideas and techniques are shared across these two developments

Rendering of the MTC

At a glance

The following statistics reflect the Full X for the MTC facility depicted above.

 

Architectural and construction statistics