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Inside the Structural Innovation Behind Western Sydney Airport
When Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI) opens next month, it will feature a structural first: a twin-beam terminal design believed to be the first of its kind in Australia, and possibly the world.
Behind it is a three-year collaboration between Fielders’ Design Solutions Group (DSG) and head contractor Multiplex.
Fielders DSG began working with Multiplex more than three years ago to understand the WSI terminal’s key success metrics and technical requirements. That early collaboration led DSG national engineering manager Marko Stankovic to propose the new structural twin-beam design for the terminal buildings.
It replaced conventional concrete beams and slabs with large-span Fielders SlimDek 210 composite slabs, supported on welded beams made from BlueScope’s XLERPLATE steel, for a cleaner, more efficient structure.
SlimDek 210’s trapezoidal shape and deep rib profile geometry enable unpropped spans of up to 7 metres. This is an efficiency conventional methods cannot match.
The product also allows immediate fitout of floors below. It needs less equipment, fewer materials and fewer workers on site, and it delivers faster construction, leading to earlier handover.
Fielders DSG presented the solution to Multiplex, demonstrating its ability to meet complex structural performance requirements while saving significant time.
Following a detailed assessment by the project’s structural engineers, ARUP, the design was adopted for development. About 32,000sq m of Fielders SlimDek 210 and 25,000sq m of KF57 were ultimately specified.
The Western Sydney International Airport development has been discussed for decades. Environmental assessments began in 2015-16, community engagement followed, and the construction plan was finalised by late 2016.
Construction of the terminal and related infrastructure, led by Multiplex, began in November 2021 and will open in September.
It will be only the second major international airport built in Australia since Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport opened in 1970 and it arrives as Sydney’s aviation demand is expected to double in the next 20 years.
Western Sydney Airport Co Limited (WSA Co), formed in 2017 to oversee construction and operation of the airport, set out to achieve best practice across all aspects of the build.
Fielders DSG was formed with the same objective: to provide an industry-leading customer experience, and real value, to building design and construction professionals across Australia.
From concept to completion, the DSG team draws on subject matter experts to provide design solutions and technical support throughout every stage of a project.
Marko and DSG colleague Jack Huang provided ongoing technical support throughout the project’s design and construction phases, and continue to support Multiplex on site, ensuring best-practice SlimDek 210 installation.
Their dedication reinforces Fielders’ reputation as an innovative, solution-focused partner delivering exceptional value to the construction industry.
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