The Incredible Construction of Airports

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1. Challenges of Building River Deltas

Building on river deltas is challenging due to constantly changing landscapes. Rivers deposit sediments, while the sea erodes them, making their shapes unpredictable. However, the changes happening at the Pearl River delta in China go beyond the usual natural shifts. Engineers are constructing a 1,248-hectare island, aiming for durability as much as size. This new island, Chek Lap Kok, is the future site of Hong Kong’s new airport, and the construction is moving fast, with 83% already complete.

2. Comparing Two Asian Island Airports

While Chek Lap Kok rises, another artificial island in Osaka Bay, Japan, which supports the Kansai Airport, is sinking. Kansai’s island was built using traditional methods of piling sand on the seabed, but the soft mud underneath is causing uneven sinking. Engineers tried to slow this by driving sand into the seabed, but it hasn’t worked as hoped. To address the sinking, the airport terminal is supported by 900 pillars that can be adjusted. Chek Lap Kok uses a different approach to avoid this issue, as its engineers opted to remove the soft mud entirely.

3. Unique Methods for Building Chek Lap Kok

Chek Lap Kok’s engineers tackled the soft mud by dredging 150 million cubic meters of it and dumping it elsewhere. Sand and granite were then used to build the foundation. The granite came from the original island, which was blasted into boulders and used as landfill material. By the time the airport is finished, 350 million cubic meters of material will have been moved. The island is designed to withstand typhoons and monsoon rains, with strong sea defenses and special layers of material to prevent sinking. This island is built to last.