AAI selects BIM for new terminal of Guwahati Airport

Kolkata: Airport Authority of India (AAI) has identified Building Information Modeling (BIM) as the design and planning platform for construction of the New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) of Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati of Assam.

The new 90,000 square-metre terminal, will have 64 check-in counters, 20 self-check-in desks, eight Immigration counters, eight custom counters, six arrival carousels, 10 escalators, 25 elevators, 16 self-baggage drop counters and 20 aircraft parking bays.

Architecture Firm: Design Forum International (DFI) and AECOM, a fully integrated global infrastructure firm have leveraged Autodesk BIM solution, Revit to design the NITB of the airport. Autodesk Revit will help to enhance collaboration of the entire project team– from design, fabrication, and construction to operations and maintenance – to make informed decisions from a common point of understanding. The cloud-based Collaboration for Revit service provides centralized access to Revit models, and let project team members at multiple sites co-author Revit models regardless of their physical location. This cloud-enabled work-sharing also let team members see each other’s work and communicate with one another in real time.

DFI has taken inspiration from the mythological figure, Icarus to create the unique design of this new terminal, ensuring seamless and state of the art infrastructure for generations to come. DFI has designed the NITB with a 4-Star GRIHA rating parameter. The focus on sustainability was imbibed right at the design inception stage by inter-weaving the built form with the outdoor environment. The indoor forest is a physical manifestation of this approach –it is separated by a glass wall from the more massive outdoor forest, fitting into a groove with the terminal building and becoming an integral part of the overall built structure. The car park structures are designed to be covered with photovoltaic panels that generate almost 500 KW of solar energy.

A.K Pathak, Member Planning, Airport Authority of India (AAI) said, “Today, India is going through major infrastructural development and transformative projects which will be the key success drivers of this phenomenon. The aviation sector is growing at a rapid pace where modern airports are being planned across the country. We need modern technologies to fuel this growth and build the infrastructure of the future. Some of the best airports worldwide have used advanced technologies like BIM and we believe it’s the right time for India to adopt this industry best practice to realize the country’s vision in infrastructure development.”

Sunil MK, Head of Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) at Autodesk, India & SAARC said, “With the decision to use BIM on such a massive infrastructure project, Airport Authority of India is fueling a paradigm change in the future of construction. We, at Autodesk, are excited to be part of this project as the technology provider. Our cutting-edge BIM platform, will enable better design and construction efficiency, lower cost and less negative impact on the environment.”

Anand Sharma, Partner, Design Forum International, said, “We conceptualized the design for the new terminal with an intent to enhance the experience and engagement of travelers. With the focus on contextual relevance, we infused the flavors of Assam in the overall design aesthetics. We firmly believe that after completion, this new terminal will set a high benchmark for various upcoming airport infrastructure projects in other parts of the country.”

From design collaboration, documentation and reviews, to pre-construction, through quality, safety and operations, Autodesk BIM connects the people, data and workflows in construction projects. With hundreds of people working on the site each day, communication at scale is key. It will enable all the parties to review the master model, see each other’s concerns; clashing elements; inaccurate or missing design elements; and critical zones both for coordination and installation.