Project description
The New International Airport of Angola (NAIA), located 40 km south-east of Luanda, was designed as an alternative to the Quatro de Fevereiro Airport. It was inserted into the context adjacent to the current general master plan and integrated proximity principles to the programmed new urban facilities, fundamental strategic vectors to the territorial consolidation of this new urban infrastructure. The construction and improvement of the Luanda-Cacuaco-Viana-Cabolombo motorway, which will connect these cities, Samba and Kilamba Kiaxi to the new airport, was equally factored into the project. In terms of public transportation, the project anticipates the existence of a direct link between the airport and the railway located north of the motorway.
The airport complex was designed to meet the urgent needs that resulted from Angola’s increase in passenger air traffic, a consequence of the strong economic growth that the country has registered in recent years and which is expected to continue. At the same time, the country’s rising exposure to the outside has made it necessary to equip it with modern and efficient infrastructures. The area available for the construction of NAIA was of approximately 8.000 ha. The area reserved specifically for the NAIA project was of approximately 1.324 ha, of which 1.111 ha were meant for the airport itself. This project area includes airport operations zones, namely circulation areas, passenger terminal, cargo facilities and complementary facilities, as well as the areas destined for activities not directly related to aviation. The solution presented for the revision of the Airport Master Plan is based on a set of choices that allow to separate certain service areas and organise them in a more rational way.
To this end, we proposed:
• the transfer of the entire industrial and commercial area connected to the outside of the complex, such as maintenance and air cargo hangars and postal services, to the south-eastern area of the airport, with its own access to the Viana-Catete road;
• to keep the real-estate services related to airport activity around the airport main access axis, on the north side;
• to organise the passenger terminal linearly in relation to the aircraft, keeping open the possibility to add two more finger piers in the future, should market demands justify it;
• the dimensioning of the passenger terminal for an expected 10 million passengers per year, so that once that goal is reached, it will only be necessary to expand the piers and increase the number of jet bridges;
• to place the control tower in an isolated location, protecting it from any form of outside interference, being a key element in the airport security system;
• to create parallel taxiways, to rationalise circulation to and from each runway in a continuous flow; • to create parking areas for general and executive aviation;
• to create areas for helicopter operations;
• to create 35/44 remote parking positions for aircrafts in classes C, D and E, in accordance with the specific characteristics of the passenger traffic; contact stand positions with loading bridges were created for 12 aircrafts.
The proposed master plan, designed for an expected 30 years of service, included a system of two parallel runways oriented in the same direction as the main runway of the Quatro de Fevereiro Airport (05-23), which would allow for mixed independent operations in conditions of low visibility and low hanging clouds.
In our proposed solution, the parallel runways, 2.200 m apart, were both served by parallel taxiways with the same length as the corresponding runway. The eastern runway, 4.200 m long and 75 m wide, was prepared to serve the largest type of aircraft – the Airbus A380.
The western runway, 3.200 m long and 60 m wide, would serve crafts of up to class E. Both runways possessed the equipment to allow for simultaneous landing operations in low visibility conditions.
This airport was designed to become the new visiting card of a country that wants to be in the forefront of development. The NAIA project is what we call a “ready for use” project, since A1V2 designed the entire project: master plan, architecture, water supply network, fire suppression and extinguishing system, centralised technical management system, baggage handling system, paving, signalling, landscaping, ground circulation table, light- signalling system for aircraft traffic, aeronautical components, among others.
Among the proposed infrastructures, the passenger terminal stands out: a building of 178.000 m2 prepared to accommodate national and international flights, integrating a set of 12 jet bridges, 2 of which meant for the new A380 aircraft. The architectural solution for the terminal intends to establish a modern and iconic structure that leaves an indelible impression forever associated with the memory of the country, establishing itself as an entryway into the city and country. The formal concept was inspired in the prismatic geometry of crystals, working reflexes, transparencies and polished surfaces in contrast with markedly telluric elements grounded on strong African tradition.
The presidential and protocol terminal, meant to serve the Presidency of the Republic of Angola and high foreign dignitaries visiting the country, is another building worthy of highlight. Possessing its own jet bridge, it was designed with both airport functions as well as protocol requirements in mind, setting itself apart as an official entryway into Angola.
The scale and complexity of this enormous project prove that the great experience, multi-disciplinary competence, discipline and dedication of A1V2 are differentiating factors decisive for its success.
It also demonstrates the company’s capacity for creativity on all scales and in the most varied types of infrastructures.
The design of the New International Airport of Angola became a true challenge to all involved expertises, and the structure and foundations design was no exception. These challenges included the execution and feasibility of the bold and creative architectural concepts, the number and dimension of the buildings, the compliance with the functional and technical requirements of each building and the rigorous combination of all engineering expertise and architecture. Other challenges lay in the handling of several constraints, such as the geotechnical properties of the ground, or the need to meet local standards and regulations and ensure that all structural solutions were feasible and in accordance with the reality of the country. The number of buildings, combined with the requirements, dimensions and architecture resulted in a showcase of structural solutions as varied as they are complex.
The project includes several structural systems and materials, such as reinforced and pre-stressed concrete, steel and composite, wood and masonry, and also several structural solutions such as flat slabs, flat plates, waffle and ribbed slabs, pre-stressed beams and slabs, composite beams and slabs, large spans and cantilevers, regular and irregular grids, shallow and deep foundations, among others. As an example of the miscellaneous structural solutions, there is the 59-metre span steel trusses, precambered, of the cargo buildings; the pile foundations with piles of up to 1,20 metres diameter and 20 meters depth; the 22.833 m2 of total floor area of the catering building; the reinforced concrete shaft of the radar tower; composite beams and slabs in the administration building, the pre-stressed beams and slabs in the communications, SLCI and Vault buildings; the flat plates in the Catering; the hollow block slabs in the communications building; and the waffle slab in DEPMEC building. Finally, the pre-stressed waffle slabs and pre-stressed box girders in the Executive Terminal are particularly worthy of note.
