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The Airport is Sinking!

The Airport is Sinking!. Valerie Burris & Julia Littlefield. Kansai International Airport. Background Information. Built to reduce noise pollution from current Osaka Airport Built on Existing Landfill First airport built on manmade island Island construction began in 1987

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The Airport is Sinking!

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  1. The Airport is Sinking! Valerie Burris & Julia Littlefield

  2. Kansai International Airport

  3. Background Information • Built to reduce noise pollution from current Osaka Airport • Built on Existing Landfill • First airport built on manmade island • Island construction began in 1987 • Terminal Construction began in 1991 • Architect: Renzo Piano

  4. Expected Risks • Earthquakes: 1995 Kobe Earthquake nearly unscathyed • Extreme High Tides • Protests from Fishermen

  5. Potential Problems • Total estimated sinkage: 11.5 meters over 50 years • Two years after the island was completed, sinkage was 8 meters

  6. Why? • Soft clay under the ocean floor could not support the island’s weight • How could this have occurred? • Flashback Time

  7. Construction Timeline • 1987-Start of the airport island seawall construction (January)

  8. 1987 • Start of the airport island seawall construction (January)

  9. 1991 • Completion of reclamation work on the airport island (December)

  10. 1994 • Completion of the Passenger Terminal Building (June)

  11. Later in 1994 • Opening of the airport (September 4)

  12. But Wait There is More… • The Airport was sinking faster than expected. • The airport ha reportedly sunk 10 meters after the first 3 years of it’s construction. This is much faster than the initial expected rate of 11.5 meters in 50 years. • Total sinkage to date is 12.18 meters. Sinking has slowed. In 2003, total sinking was just 14 centimeters • Another concern is that the airport is also sinking unevenly which my cause the entire foundation to buckle.

  13. What was to be done? • The airport's operator is planning to spend 27 billion yen to protect the terminal buildings and refueling tanks from underground flooding. • Pumps will also be installed in case flooding does occur. • To counteract the uneven sinking columns supporting the building will be raised or shortened. • To absorb the sink a special hydraulic cylinder was made, with an ordinary length usually calculated

  14. An intermediate support for the cylinder was made to slide, and the thimble rod is adjustable as a measure for the top clearance, since the wire rope length also varies • These are just some of the many actions being taken over time.

  15. Cool Fact! • After many counter measurements against sinking were made after 1994, KIX was awarded "Monuments of the Millennium" by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1999.

  16. What’s Happening Now? • This is a photo of the new terminal

  17. Go ahead and ask! • You’ve got Questions? • We’ve got Answers…

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