News: New Doha airport takes shape thanks to Macalloy

The billion dollar development at the New Doha International Airport in Qatar is being made possible by products made in Rotherham by construction experts, Macalloy.



With Doha's current airport facing increasing congestion, the new airport will replace the current facility with much larger cargo and passenger facilities, thereby providing an important transportation hub for the people and materials needed to fuel the country's ongoing development. It will also provide a base for Qatar Airways and accommodate the new Airbus A380 super jumbo jets.

With an estimated cost of over $7bn, the project is being led by US construction giants Bechtel who specialise in "megaprojects" including the Hoover Dam and the Channel Tunnel.

When it opens next year, the new airport will accommodate 24 million passengers and 750,000 metric tons of cargo annually. When totally complete, the new airport will handle 50 million passengers, 2 million tonnes of cargo, and 320,000 aircraft landings and takeoffs each year.

It will feature two of the longest commercial runways in the world, an 85 meter high crescent-shaped control tower, a 510,000-square-meter passenger terminal with 40 gates, a separate terminal for the Emir of Qatar, a general aviation terminal, a cargo terminal, a 150,000 square meter aircraft maintenance center, one of the world's largest airport catering facilities, state-of-the art air traffic control equipment and security systems, and other facilities.

Airport buildings on the 22 sq km site were designed by Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) architects and many of them have a water theme. The passenger terminal roof is shaped like a wave and the Emiri terminal is externally shaped like sail boats. On the inside, many of the finishes feature water themes and support facilities have undulating metal roof structures.

To make this possible, Macalloy stainless steel bar tendons and stainless steel cable tendons have been used as they provide the optimum balance of strength, ductility and appearance.

Based in Dinnington, Macalloy won the prestigious Queen's Awards for Enterprise for international trade. Their threaded bar and cable systems can be found in engineering and construction projects across the globe.

In the Middle East, these include the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, terminal three at Dubai International Airport, new stations along the Dubai Metro system and the Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

Macalloy website

Images: hok.com