Airport city developments bring together multi-modal transportation that is centred on an airport and the inevitable commercial activity that it supports and encourages. They are based on the principles of encouraging the connection between people and activities and becoming a destination in their own right.
To achieve such ambitious urban developments, consultancy firm Arup brings together the skills of commercial development, master planning, infrastructure planning, transportation planning and integration to create a coordinated and integrated solution from a range of disciplines. Arup has been involved in aviation development work for more than 50 years.
During this period it has worked on a wide range of projects at more than 100 airports worldwide and built up a high level of expertise in the field. Arup provides a high quality professional service in all aspects of aviation practice, consistently and cost effectively.
Arup's multidisciplinary approach to the built environment - Integrated Urbanism - avoids a simplistic linear perspective, and becomes a process of engaging in the inherent complexity of creating truly sustainable environments.
This approach reveals the interdependencies and relationships between stakeholders, institutions, uses, activities and impacts, allowing the international consultancy to capitalise on potential synergies, develop integrated solutions that create efficient operations and establish clear and measurable outcomes and benefits.
"It is an approach that brings a level of rigour and accountability to planning essential in today's climate of rapid urbanisation and limited resources. Our intrinsic approach to design combines issues of land use, infrastructure management, economics, micro-climate, sociology, ecology, hydrology, and energy use," says Peter Budd, director of Arup.
Aviation planning
"Pushing the frontiers of thinking and design, we create increasingly innovative solutions for our clients and have an enviable track record of successful delivery across a broad range of sectors," adds Budd.
Arup's success is founded on a keen understanding of its clients' needs, combined with the application of leading edge technology and management excellence. A commitment to teamwork, creative thinking, technical excellence and sustainable design and collaboration with its clients, helps Arup strives to deliver solutions that both enhance the environment and improve the quality of life.
"We deliver a unique and unparalleled global skill set. Our people shape our projects - they are our most valuable asset. Many of them are technical and industry thought leaders. Their breadth of knowledge, range of skills and global understanding is unmatched," Budd enthuses.
In 2008 alone, six major airport developments that Arup played a key role in were successfully completed and opened and in 2009, including Sabiha Gök├ºen International Airport's new terminal - the world's largest seismically-isolated building.
These and other airport projects designed by Arup won a number of international awards, such as the JetBlue Terminal 5 development at JFK international Airport, which received a 2010 American Council of Engineering Companies New York Gold Award in the 'Studies, Research and Consulting' category.
Also, of the five top performing airports in the ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passenger survey for 2009, three are current or recent Arup clients.
