Client: Manchester Airports Group

Main Contractor: Laing O’Rourke

Steelwork contractor/decking installer for Pier 1 and Pier 2, Terminal 2:
William Hare and Richard Lees Decking

Steelwork contractor/decking installer multi-storey car park: 
Caunton Engineering and MSW Ltd

Tata Steel products used: Celsius®, ComFlor®, and Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra®

Due for completion in 2024, work on Manchester Airport’s transformation programme is taking shape. The first major phase of the £1bn transformation programme was completed in April 2019, with the opening of Pier One at Terminal Two and other associated buildings marking the beginning of the transformation and the changes planned to modernise and transform the airport.

Manchester Airport is the UK’s third largest airport and the transformation work will improve the overall guest experience for thousands of customers, offering seamless service from the moment they begin their journey.

Work on the transformation scheme started in July 2017 and will include new build, extensions and refurbishments as well as changes to infrastructure and additional parking facilities.

Terminal Two will be modernised and transformed to more than double its current size including new arrivals, immigration, check-in and security facilities, as well as a departure lounge with mezzanine level that will include bars, restaurants and executive lounges.

The first phase of the Terminal Two building extension will open in 2020, while other facilities such as island check-in desks and baggage reclaim facilities will open later in the year. Following completion of the first phase, the existing Terminal Two building will be reconfigured and the entire Terminal Two ‘super terminal’ will then re-open in 2022.

The challenges

Manchester Airport opened in 1938 and now has over 29 million passenger each year with more than 25,000 people employed on site.

The planned transformation work will cater for the continued increase in demand from passengers looking to access the Northern hub’s 210 destinations. The investment programme will ensure the airport plays its role in driving economic growth and development as a key part of the UK transport infrastructure.

The ongoing transformation work at the airport continues to attract a lot of interest and the complexity of its design and use of so many different construction materials has brought many challenges, for such a largescale project that is very much in the public eye.

Working in and around an operational airfield poses many challenges, but thanks to the close working and meticulous digital planning the project’s design, construction methods and logistics were all thought through before construction began. This digital engineering approach meant the team were able to work together efficiently, keeping passenger and staff disruptions to a minimum.

The solution

Building Systems UK (A Tata Steel Enterprise)’s structural and pre-finished steel products are playing a leading role in helping transform Manchester Airport. As each phase opens, and the next phase gets under way we have already seen a great mix of our products incorporated into many of the structures. So far over 40,000m² of ComFlor^®, 500 tonnes of Celsius^® 355 and 7,500m² of Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra^® have gone into the delivery of Pier One, Pier Two, the Terminal Two extension, a new baggage hall and one of the multi-storey car parks.

Working with William Hare and Richard Lees Decking, ComFlor^® 51+, ComFlor^® 60 and ComFlor^® 210 profiles have provided the composite flooring solutions for Pier One, Pier Two and Terminal Two extension work. Pier One is a giant 216m-long pier with 11 gates and a connecting 250m-long link back to the new terminal extension.

Our most recent involvement with the transformation has been the installation of ComFlor^® 60 on one of the new multi-storey car parks. Working with Caunton Engineering and MSW for Winvic Construction, our composite steel decking with Colorcoat FD^® 170 pre-finished steel was used on the exposed soffits, providing substantial additional protection from the environment, and offering great looking decks internally for optimum reflectivity.

While most of the Terminal Two extension steelwork was completed towards the end of 2018, incorporating our Celsius^® 355 tubes, further work at the front of the new building is taking place. The existing forecourt, entranced on level 2, is being extended using CHS columns that will support a new canopy.

In addition, Colorcoat HPS200 Ultra^® pre-finished steel in Alaska Grey has been used to construct the roof system of the new baggage hall. Colorcoat^® pre-finished steel will provide a sustainable, long lasting, durable solution, complete with a 40 year guarantee.

Transformation work at Manchester Airport will continue for some time yet. The programme is due for completion in 2024.