Atkins Wins Design Contract for RMB 35B Qingdao Airport

Atkins and China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute (CSWADI) have won a contract for the conceptual planning and terminal design of the new Qingdao airport, marking the start of a successful partnership.

With an investment of 35 billion RMB, Qingdao airport is one of the largest of five airports approved by the National Development and Reform Committee (NDRC) for development. The total budget for the five airports will amount to approximately 150 billion RMB.

Qingdao airport will serve as a main regional hub and enhance the aviation capacity for both passengers and cargos. The project covers all design aspects including master planning, airfield design, transport planning, landscaping and water engineering.

Chris Birdsong, Atkins’ CEO for Asia Pacific, said: “Atkins has been present in the mainland China market for the last 20 years and has gained a reputation as a leading player in the planning, architecture and landscape business. Our partnership with CSWADI, one of the leading design institutes in China and the largest in western China, will allow us to unlock opportunities to deliver our multidisciplinary, high end engineering services in China.”

Yang Guo, deputy dean from CSWADI, said: “This contract win is the beginning of a productive partnership between CSWADI and Atkins. Both parties bring their own skills and strong design capabilities. It’s the combination of local knowledge and international experience that creates the most powerful synergy.”

Qingdao, in the Shandong Province of China, is an important economic centre and seaport along the eastern coastline and an important gateway to Northeast Asia with extensive trading relations with Japan and South Korea. Upon completion in 2017, Qingdao airport will have the ability to process 38 million passengers per year in 2025 and 60 million passengers per year in 2045.