Edmonton International Airport

Canada’s most northerly major airport, the fifth busiest airport in the nation and the largest airport in the country by land mass, Edmonton International Airport is important to the commercial and economic fabric of the region. The $800 M Edmonton International Airport expansion project comprised a 25,000 square metre air terminal expansion, 15,000 square metre air terminal renovation, 12,000 square metre office tower development, 200,000 square meter apron and numerous aviation-related developments.

WSP’s services were extensive for this award-winning project which garnered the prestigious Consulting Engineers of Alberta Showcase Awards, Award of Merit, and Project Management in 2014. Responsibilities included program management, related infrastructure development, high-definition laser scanning services, comprehensive security, IT, and structured cabling services; including all new video surveillance, access control, and intercom devices; a new IP-based security system complete with failover-redundant architecture for all components; as well as complete re-cabling throughout 12 buildings.

The expansion project also included the implementation of Canada’s first complete second generation 3 level Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) Hold-Baggage Screening (HBS) system raising the level of security for airport passengers. WSP was responsible for passenger information systems such as flight and baggage information display, airport resource management, airport operational database, VoIP, and interfaces to building systems.

The design included two fully redundant data centres operating over a converged network to support all IP-enabled airport and building systems. WSP also provided system design and project management services for several tenants and government agencies within the airport, including the Canada Border Services Agency, US Customs and Border Protection, and the RCMP.

High definition laser scanning used to create 3D model

WSP performed a detailed survey of Edmonton International Airport for their Expansion 2012 project. High definition laser scanning was used in the area between gates 49 and 50 to produce as-built plans of exterior and interior spaces.

The two-phase control network was the base for the laser scanning. Three scans covering the exterior tarmac registered together with five interior scans to form a full 3D model of the area, complete with full structural details and key hardware. Cross sections taken through the model at specified locations produced plans and profiles for project architects and engineers.

Surpassing Design Expectations

While the project team worked towards achieving Silver LEED certification for both the air terminal building expansion and the office tower the south terminal received a LEED Gold certification. With 97 per cent of construction waste materials on this project were diverted from the landfill, this was a sustainable project from beginning to end.