Built at Manchester Airport by Losberger De Boer, the semi-permanent gate lounge was named Astron’s Building of the Month.
Losberger De Boer working with principal contractors, Laing O’Rourke, recently completed the new semi-permanent gate lounge at Manchester Airport, which marks the first milestone of the airport’s £1bn investment programme, known as the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme (MAN-TP).
The gate lounge was named ‘Building of the Month’ by Astron, one of Europe’s leading steel suppliers to the building industry. Astron’s steel frame building system was used to construct the airport lounge which beat several other international projects to claim the title
The new lounge, which can hold up to 650 passengers, took the Losberger De Boer team just under five days to construct. The 37.6m x 35m structure will be operational for up to two years during the demolition of Manchester Airport’s existing Terminal 2 and early stages of its reconstruction.
Robert Alvarez, Losberger De Boer Sales Director – Commercial, commented: “The new gate lounge posed some interesting building challenges. Firstly, the lounge was constructed on an airside location alongside a fully operational airfield. Plus, we had to build in a very tight space between adjacent aeroplane stands, the airfield’s service road and aircraft taxi way.
“This required complex timetabling and coordination with all team members including airport personnel to ensure a smooth build and no disruption to the airport’s day-to-day activities. We are proud to work alongside Laing O’Rourke team, as principal contractors, on this successful project.”
Thanks to ceiling-high windows, the new lounge provides passengers with a close-up view of the airfield and the facility is decorated with a timeline showcasing the history of the airport as well as information on the transformation programme.
Rob Stewart, Delivery Director for MAN-TP, commented: “The opening of the lounge is the first milestone for the project since work started. The new facility, built by Losberger De Boer, in partnership with Laing O’Rourke, has been finished to a high standard and it is great to use the space to tell passengers travelling to destinations ranging from Beijing to San Francisco about the history of Manchester Airport and our plans for the future”
The area also includes new enlarged washroom facilities, installed by the Losberger De Boer team, and new wayfinding branding and signage which will be used throughout the terminal once the transformation is complete. The team also laid flooring for the gate lounges’ connecting corridors, ensuring a smooth fit out.
For further information, check www.losberger.com and www.deboer.com.