Centralny Port Komunikacyjny is in the process of selecting and signing contracts with key suppliers connected to the construction of the new CPK airport.
The suppliers will provide design documentation for, among other things, the passenger terminal, railway station and public transport interchange, runways and taxiways, air traffic control tower, cargo terminals, hotels, office buildings and multi-storey parking lots.
A staggering number of design drawings – around 60,000 – need to be created and incorporated into the digital model. Due to its unprecedented scale, the task has been divided into various, simultaneously created project scopes – in an integrated team, with the participation of CPK experts and external consultants, such as experts from Incheon Airport in Seoul. The goal is for the multi-discipline design plans and specifications to come together and form one efficient and complete project.
Master Architect
A Master Architect (MA) is at the centre of the largest design tasks envisioned for the construction of the new airport. Their task is to design the heart of the airport: not only the passenger terminal but also the railway station, the public transport interchange (PTI) and the baggage handling system (BHS).
The basic scope includes conceptual and construction designs, as well as detailed plans. The master architect tasks alone should involve 200-300 designers working with CPK at its peak. Nearly 20,000 drawings of varying complexity are going to be prepared for this task alone. The design concept is expected to be ready in the middle of next year, giving the contractor two and a half years for the entire task.
Centralny Port Komunikacyjny has completed this greatly anticipated tender and signed an agreement with a consortium of Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, whose bid to be MA was considered the best, on November 10, 2022. The value of the contract (including the tasks covered by the option right) is PLN 696m (circa €150m). The concept design of key CPK facilities is expected to be ready as early as the middle of 2023, and all other design services will be provided within two and a half years from the contract conclusion date. Foster + Partners' bid was selected from among the companies shortlisted for the competitive dialogue: the consortia Zaha Hadid Architects and WSP UK; Dar Al-Handasah and Perkins&Will; Vidal y Asociados Estudio de Arquitectura; Weston Williams +Partners; gmp International; and Kohn Pedersen Fox
Master Civil Engineer
In the case of the general master civil engineer (MCE), the selection is already legally binding. In the past few days, CPK has signed a contract with Dar Al-Handasah Consultants. The master civil engineer has seven and a half months to develop the conceptual design and 12 months for the building plans and specifications.
The tasks for the MCE will include the preparation of multi-discipline design plans and specifications for the technical infrastructure, including runways, taxiways, parking aprons, railway tunnels, airport systems and networks and other connections, along with the engineering facilities.
The designer is a member of Dar Group, which has been responsible for projects at Dubai and Qatar airports (the latter is no. 1 in the current Skytrax ranking of the world's best airports). The company also provided design support to expand the O'Hare Airport in Chicago, New York's LaGuardia, San Francisco International Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan in China.
Support Infrastructure Engineering
This includes conceptual, technical, detailed and construction designs, as well as obtaining the necessary permits for airport support facilities. “We have divided them into two parts: strictly relating to the airport and covering facilities where airport experience will not be crucial. We have divided them, so they take place in the form of two framework agreements, on which we intend commissioning the executive proceedings”, explained Mikołaj Wild, president of CPK.
The first Support Infrastructure Engineering (SIE) tender, which was announced in August, concerned the design of an air traffic control tower, an airport operations centre, aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul base (MRO), emergency and firefighting buildings, airport services, and more. Fifteen companies and design consortia applied, including some from Poland. Verification of bids is underway, and a framework contract will soon be signed with the selected contractors.
This month, CPK announced a tender for the second SIE framework contract: for the preparation of design plans and specifications for hotels, offices, retail facilities, cargo terminals and multi-storey parking lots at the airport and Airport City. The deadline for submitting bids is mid-November. As with the first SIE tender, CPK plans to sign a schedule with 15 participants.
Airport Systems Integration Designer
Now it is time for the last of “project four”. CPK is at the final stage of selecting an Airport Systems Integration Designer (ASID). The designer's tasks include the implementation and integration of specialised airport systems that allow the automation of airport operations and the use of digital tools to support the passenger experience.
When designing system integration, it's important to consider all the operational processes, cyber-security policies or available innovative technology solutions, such as biometric, contactless, and modern ways to manage and analyse data using artificial intelligence (AI).
Image: Centralny Port Komunikacyjny
