The Sandpiper, Glasgow Airport

• Client: JD Wetherspoon plc
• Location: Glasgow Airport Skyhub
• Value: £260,000
• Timescale: Construction period of 10 weeks
• Design Team: Harrison Ince Architects, Arcadis AYH Project QS

Challenge

Following a £290million investment by BAA Glasgow to extend and develop their passenger areas at Glasgow Airport, a major change has taken place, with the centralisation of all security search zones into a single place – the Skyhub, which all passengers, whether travelling within the UK or abroad, will pass through.

As a result, many facilities were to become accessible only to travellers, and there was a need to extend the facilities on the newly formed landside area.

Having completed a number of projects for JD Wetherspoon, Pacific Building tendered and won the contract to construct a new restaurant at the airport, The Sandpiper. Timescales were of the utmost importance in the completion of the project.

Approach

As The Sandpiper’s grand opening had to coincide with the launch of the Skyhub itself, a 10-week construction period was allocated for the entire works, with the deadline for completion pushing everyone concerned right to the wire. The finished project had to reflect the history of the airport, take account of the modernised surroundings and impress The Sandpiper's customers. Therefore, the materials and styles used to fit out the restaurant had to be of an extremely high quality.

Furthermore, working in an airport and around passenger flows  presents issues, and while the main works took place separately from passengers, all access points, including those required for materials, had to be carefully controlled for obvious security reasons.

Result

Pacific Building utilised their experience of working in live environments to achieve the on-time delivery of the project. Forward planning and organisational skills ensured that minimal disruption was caused for passengers and airport staff throughout construction. The Sandpiper is the latest work Pacific Building have completed for JD Wetherspoon, and, as with previous projects, the pub chain's expectations were exceeded. The outstanding final results were achieved on time and on budget.

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