Reducing airport maintenance costs whilst providing a safe and attractive environment for passengers is a challenge for many airport owners.
Based on our experience of airport projects around the world, here are four ways you can reduce the maintenance costs of your airport terminal.
1. The Terminal Entrance
The entrance to an airport terminal is the ideal location to remove dirt and moisture from the feet of passengers and the wheels of luggage and trolleys. However, many entrance flooring systems are not optimised to scrape, brush and absorb – allowing too much dirt and debris to enter the terminal, and increasing cleaning costs as well as wear and tear on expensive internal floor finishes.
Choose an entrance flooring solution that has a documented scraping, brushing and absorbing action, and is able to withstand the high footfall of an airport terminal.
2. Baggage Reclaim Areas
Damage to walls from luggage and trolleys in baggage reclaim areas can quickly become unsightly and a safety hazard. Standard wall coatings are simply not up to the job of protecting walls from frequent scrapes and heavy impacts, which leads to frequent and costly maintenance and recoating.
Rather than opting for regular paint or stainless steel, look for a wall protection solution that is able to absorb impacts, hide scrapes and scuffs, and maintain it’s appearance without requiring frequent maintenance.
3. The Terminal Interior
Like all large buildings, airport terminals can be subject to building movement from wind, thermal expansion, and seismic events. Whilst expansion joints will be built-in to the design of the terminal, selection of the right expansion joint covers is critical for passenger safety and to prevent damage to the expensive wall and floor finishes.
Choose an expansion joint cover with a track record in airport terminals, which meets the anticipated building movement, as well the aesthetics of the terminal design.
4. The Terminal Exterior
Large commercial buildings can consume a vast amount of energy for lighting, heating and cooling, which is why many airports are looking to environmental programs such as LEED & BREEAM to help them design sustainable buildings that save energy.
One approach to significantly reduce energy usage in a terminal is letting more natural light in and keeping heat out. So look for dynamic solar shading that not only reduces heat and glare, but can also provide significant reductions on air conditioning load requirements and lighting energy usage.
