Melbourne Airport
T2 Expansion

Client:
Melbourne Airport

Location:
Tullamarine, VIC

Completion:
2011

Project Value:
A$330m

The Architectus-designed $330m Melbourne Airport T2 Expansion, completed in 2011, is the largest ever upgrade at Melbourne’s international airport.

Over 41,000m² of new space and 8,000m² of refurbished area provides five new international gates, a new outbound passenger processing area, extensive new baggage conveying and sorting systems and a world-class retail precinct.

Completed within an operating airport environment that experiences more than 26 million passenger movements and 195,000 aircraft movements annually, the project, known as T2E, was delivered in four main stages over four years.

An expansive new Duty Free area, shining and white, and the soaring retail lounge with 10m high windows looking over the airfield, gives departing passengers a final taste of the glamour and excitement that typifies Melbourne retail. The terminal expansion provides five new gates, three with dual-level aerobridges able to accommodate an Airbus 380 or two smaller aircraft. Arriving passengers pass through a glazed, elevated walkway within the departure lounges giving the ability to visually connect arriving and departing passengers. These spaces are serene, and the passenger flow clear and intuitive, supporting efficient circulation as well as providing a calming environment for excited, weary or anxious travellers.

The project’s environmental initiatives directly benefit the building occupants. Large volume spaces have heating and cooling in the floor slab, there is an abundance of natural light and automated blinds track sun movement to provide glare control to the interior spaces.

Creating a sustainable airport

At the time of design there wasn’t a Green Star rating tool specifically for Airports and in 2006 the ‘Public Buildings’ tool was not yet in use. The design team used the available Green Star rating tools for office and retail projects to benchmark the environmental performance of the development and estimated the building would achieve between 4 and 5 Stars with the following environmental initiatives implemented:

Hydronic heated and chilled slab, with low velocity tempered air supply
Air supply economy cycles utilise free outdoor air-cooling when ambient outdoor conditions permit
Recirculation cycles on air supply when building occupancy is low-monitored by C02 sensors.
High performance double glazing to all facades
Glare control through internal blinds which track the sun’s movements and are controlled by roof-top weather station.
Highly insulated building skin
White roof to limit solar gain
3D thermal, daylight and energy modelling of internal environment
Rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing, landscape irrigation and airfield dust suppression
Low water use sanitary fittings and fixtures
Hot water for the public toilet facilities is solar pre-heated for energy saving
LED lighting
DALI lighting control, interfaced with BMS
All lighting and ventilation systems able to be switched in zones when gates are not in use
Recyclable carpet with recycled content
Water based paints
Sealants and adhesives with Low Organic Volatiles (VOC)