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An infrastructure development fit for a kingResidents of KwaZulu-Natal have been observing the transformation of the landscape at the site of the King Shaka International Airport for some time now. As the raw energy of construction starts to gives way to the beauty of the design, the country is getting a glimpse of what this impressive transport hub will look like on completion.
Project overview
The King Shaka International Airport development is currently one of KZN’s most prestigious and expensive projects under construction.
At a project cost of approximately R7.9 billion, the development includes the construction of first-world aerodrome facilities for both passenger and freight aircraft.
The massive, wholly unserviced 2 000-hectare site, located 35 kilometres north of the Durban city centre, is now being transformed with the construction of aerodrome and bulk service infrastructure, including: terminal buildings, parking facilities, a primary runway, taxiways, terminal apron areas, a control tower, various support areas, an interchange on the N2, on-site water storage facilities, road networks, piped services and cable infrastructure.
The development of the site has been planned for a phased expansion, with the first build (ready in 2010) having operational capacity up to 2015.
A traveller’s delight
The world-class, 100 000m2 terminal building will be capable of processing approximately 7.5 million passengers per annum in 2010, and will house state-of-the-art baggage handling facilities, extensive airside and landside retail areas, split-level arrival and departure halls, separate domestic and international check-in counters and airport lounges among others.
The 15 500m2 cargo terminal, with fully automated cargo processing facilities, is being built to process approximately 100 000 tons of cargo per annum in the first phase of development, and will be serviced by the 26-hectare Trade Zone area, developed to support the expansion of cargo volumes.
A support precinct of approximately 12ha is being constructed to the south of the main terminal building and will include infrastructure such as conference facilities, hotels, business parks and others, designed to support the aerodrome and Trade Zone.
Cutting-edge technology and energy-efficiency criteria have been used for the information technology, security and building management systems being installed at designated locations.
A pleasure for pilots
Airside infrastructure includes a 3 700-metre long runway that will accommodate the new generation large aircraft (NGLA) such as the Airbus A380.
The runway is linked to terminal apron areas via a parallel taxiway, cross and link taxiways.
Twenty-five Code C (B737) aircraft parking stands (12 provided with air bridges) and two Code F (A380) stands, also with air bridges, are provided for in the first build.
The Ilembe EPC Consortium is responsible for handing over a fully functional airport facility to the client, Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), by the end of April 2010.
Goba, together with partners BKS, PDNA and Y&S, as a design joint venture sub-contractor to Ilembe EPC, have been responsible for the design and construction supervision of all civil and structural works on the site.
Practically all civil and structural works have been designed and are at various stages of construction.
Since the commencement of construction in August 2007, significant progress has been made on critical path items such as the main terminal building, runway and taxiways and the main road access.
Progress to date
* Completed R5.7bn worth of work to date (R7.9bn total).
* More than 7 000 people worked on the project in July 2009.
* All major steelworks to the roof and facades of the main terminal building are complete. Structural steel to the new retail area in front of the terminal building is 50% complete. Roof sheeting to the main roof, north and south airside corridors are complete, bar the central corridor.
* Baggage handling system installation is in progress. Final fix services are being installed within the baggage hall (80% complete).
* Asphalt layers continue to be placed site-wide (96 554 tonnes complete to date).
* 3 700-metre long runway pavement is 95% complete.
* Concrete on the aircraft parking area (aprons) is 64% complete (19 340m³).
* Cargo terminal is complete. ETV equipment installation is in progress.
* Control tower – cab and shaft progressing well with services, HVAC plant, acoustic insulation, partitions, ceilings, and access flooring almost complete. ATNS has obtained access to the equipment room and approach room offices.
* Three-storey parkade (1 500 bays) – all structural and building works complete.
* Open public parking (3 000 shaded bays) – asphalting complete.
* Bulk earthworks – approximately 6 100 000m³ completed site-wide.
* 327km of electrical cable ducting is complete (98%).
* Erection of structural steel is about 90% complete (4 567 tonnes).
Operational readiness and transfer (ORAT) activities have commenced and are well advanced.
Calibration flights will commence in January 2010. The new facility will become fully operational from 2 May 2010, one month before the much anticipated 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.
On completion, this development will not only increase international, regional and domestic connectivity, but is envisaged to transform KZN into one of the most powerful regional logistics hubs in South Africa.
Q and A
Goba (Pty) Ltd is responsible, with partners BKS, PDNA and Y&S, for the design and construction supervision of all civil and structural works on the site.
Neil Sankar (NS), PMSA member and Goba representative, provides The Project Manager (TPM) with insight into the project management of this incredible development.
TPM: Please outline the scope of the KSIA project.
NS: The R7-billion mega development in La Mercy includes the construction of a new international airport, and trade port infrastructure. The state-of-the-art airport, being built by Acsa to replace the existing Durban International Airport, is designed to process 7.5 million passengers per annum from opening day, with airside infrastructure capable of handling the new-generation Airbus A380 aircraft.
The trade port, which is a Dube TradePort (DTP) initiative, comprises infrastructure geared at creating an international trade platform.
It includes the construction of a fully automated cargo terminal, and a 26-hectare Trade Zone area that will house facilities that support the expansion of cargo volumes.
TPM: Who are the main stakeholders?
NS: Acsa and DTP are the primary stakeholders, being the clients for whom the facilities are being built.
The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), eThekwini Municipality and KZN Department of Transport are also involved through the requirements for surface access to the site and the provision of bulk services.
A full-scale environmental impact assessment, concluded in 2007, identified several other stakeholders including surrounding communities and the natural environment.
TPM: Who are the various role-players/contractors/members of a professional team? How was this team formed?
NS: The Ilembe EPC consortium, comprising as many as 18 contractors, is the primary contracting party responsible for designing, building and handing over the required infrastructure to Acsa/DTP.
The consortium, led by WBHO and G5, was selected as the preferred bidder in December 2006 after a six-month bidding process, and signed an EPC contract with Acsa in June 2007.
The consortium is made up of several sub-contractor groupings (joint ventures) including project services, engineering, architectural, buildings, civils, specialist installations, mechanical and electrical.
TPM: Who is the primary project sponsor?
NS: Acsa and DTP are the primary project sponsors. Acsa is responsible for approximately R5.5bn of the project cost, while DTP is accountable for approximately R1.5bn.
TPM: How is the project management competency structured? Is there a dedicated project management office (PMO)?
NS: The management competency resides at various levels within the EPC consortium. Each sub-contractor JV is required to have at least one designated project manager who manages the output for
the JV.
Management committees are also set up where required.
Project services is in essence the PMO, providing programming, project management and cost management support.
TPM: What is the underlying methodology followed to apply project management principles? Which tools and resources have been invaluable in enabling good project management?
NS: The establishment and use of quality systems (quality management plans & project quality plans) and the use of procedures that are compliant with ISO9001. Document management, enabled through the use of an online, user-friendly document management system greatly enhanced the management of this project.
Various other tools such as dashboard reporting and risk registers were developed to evaluate critical areas, progress and performance.
TPM: What were some of the risks that were identified up front?
NS: The management and availability of construction materials was considered to be one of the major risks up front.
Construction programming constraints based on the availability of design information was also a key risk in the early stages of the project. This was exacerbated by the requirement to accelerate the programme and the introduction of variations during the project cycle.
TPM: What are some of the challenges associated with the project?
NS: Being a green-fields development (the first green-fields airport project undertaken by Acsa in South Africa), this project required the co-ordination of many role-players. This necessitated a concerted effort by all to ensure that the final product met its intended purpose.
A number of design changes had to be effected due to a late environmental Record of Decision, which placed an enormous strain on the designers during the early stages of design.
TPM: How have these been overcome?
NS: The use of appropriate document management processes, procedures and standards helped to prevail over communication challenges.
TPM: What impact will the project have on the following: tourism and local economy, job creation, and skills transfer?
NS: The very nature and scale of the project has already had an enormous impact on the local economy, and this is expected to continue once the airport becomes operational in May 2010.
The project has generated thousands of direct employment opportunities spanning various economic sectors; the black economic empowerment spend on this contract is about 70% of the contract value.
TPM: To date, what have been some of the lessons learnt on the project?
NS: The need for proper controls and procedures to mitigate and manage risks of a large-scale project such as this is imperative, and requires the buy-in from all stakeholders and role-players.
TPM: Is the project running according to plan?
NS: The project is well on track with sectional handovers having commenced. Production of as-built information has started on various parts of the works. Operational readiness activities are ongoing with final testing and commissioning to be undertaken before the airport becomes operational in May 2010.
TPM: How was this project affected by the recent strikes?
NS: The site had to be closed on a few occasions when workers downed tools. Fortunately, the industrial action did not last for any length of time.
