Airport Interior Design, Complete metal ceiling systems and decorative wall cladding solutions

Dubai International Airport Expansion,Terminal 3, Concourse 2 & Car Park
Dubai, UAE

Complexity in New Dimensions Concourse 2 is curved in all three dimensions and resembles a giant cocoon. The complex architecture with the curved roof, with an area of 87 000 m2 in one space, demanded a comprehensive design to construct the ceiling parts. Because of the unusual structure of the building, 120 000 ceiling tiles in 60 000 different positions had to be designed and manufactured in Switzerland. Each individual tile was produced on a fully automated production line and subsequently applied with a high performance powder coating. The tiles are not only excellent in terms of strength and Swiss precision but also because of their 100% perfectly smooth surface.

The project, Concourse 2, was not only a construction project but also a logistic challenge. Because the 900 m long complex was built from one end to the other, the ceiling tiles had to be manufactured and delivered to Dubai in exactly the right order. Since the difference from one tile to another is in the realm of tenths of millimeters and was thus virtually imperceptible, each tile was marked with a unique identification number and the precise location of installation. This way, each “element” could be inserted at a predefined location in the “largest puzzle in the world”. 

Project
Dubai International Airport Expansion, Terminal 3, Concourse 2 & Car Park
Building Promoter
Dubai Airports (www.dubaiairport.com) United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Architect
Aéroport de Paris (ADPi), France
Client Representative
Dar Al-Handasah (DAR), Dubai Office
General Contractor (Joint Venture)
Al Habtoor Engineering, Dubai, UAE
Murray & Roberts, Bedfordview, South Africa
Takenaka Corporation Dubai Office, UAE
Product Information
Interior roof lining (IRL), 87 000 m2, 120 000 ceiling tiles, 60 000 different positions
Metal wall cladding (MWC), 45 000 m2, 45 000 panels
Snap-in ceiling (SIC), 81000 m2, 130 000 ceiling tiles
Further Information
29 designers in 2 project teams
(St.Gallen / Dubai)
Execution
November 2004 – July 2008