Author Topic: How to build an airport on an ocean (Read 638 times)

indy007 · « **on:** January 22, 2005, 02:40:58 PM »

This is pretty cool

Lizking · « **Reply #1 on:** January 22, 2005, 02:45:42 PM »

Isn't that type of land building extremely vulnerable to earthquakes? Cool anyway.

Dago · « **Reply #2 on:** January 22, 2005, 02:55:06 PM »

Where is this?

The Japanese have learned this doesnt work well. Seems the island/airport keeps sinking.

SOB · « **Reply #3 on:** January 22, 2005, 03:28:09 PM »

The title of that thread has Osaka in it...I'm guessing that's where it is.

Dago · « **Reply #4 on:** January 22, 2005, 03:40:23 PM »

Okay, it was Osaka, I wondered.

They are fighting a battle keeping it from sinking under the water. They literally have to keep jacking up the airport as it is sinking into the ocean. Turning out to be an engineering nightmare.

dago

Chairboy · « **Reply #5 on:** January 22, 2005, 04:25:56 PM »

That's kinda inflammatory. The airport stopped sinking in 2003, that's why they're adding a new runway. As a business, the airport isn't doing too good. It charges high landing fees (I read $7500 for a 747) that have chased airlines to other airports, and traffic isn't high enough to fully justify the existing capacity, much less the second runway being built.

...but the problems are squarely financial, not engineering.

NUKE · « **Reply #6 on:** January 22, 2005, 04:32:51 PM »

how did they build that? Was there land just under the ocean and they just built it up?

hawker238 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 22, 2005, 04:40:40 PM »

No, it was water all the way to the core of the earth. They just put a big floatie out there and got it to stay.

Sikboy · « **Reply #8 on:** January 22, 2005, 04:56:43 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by hawker238
No, it was water all the way to the core of the earth. They just put a big floatie out there and got it to stay.

ROFL, that's awesome.

-Sik

Rolex · « **Reply #9 on:** January 22, 2005, 05:30:53 PM »

The Kansai airport is built on the Osaka Bay, not built on an 'ocean.' Building a higher retaining wall was the latest frantic idea (making it an underwater airport?) before the settling 'reportedly' slowed. I use quotes because, well, because... never mind.

Japan economics 101:

Even though it loses money, another runway will be built. The pesky problem with airlines and passengers using other airports will be solved by... closing or restricting the use of the other airports, of course.

The airport may not make a profit, but that doesn't mean it's bad business. Think concrete and the construction industry. Japan is the world leader in concrete and cement. Japan pours more concrete every year than the U.S. does.

The U.S. construction industry employs about 1% of the workforce. Japan employs 14% of the population in the construction industry.

All those people and all that concrete circulate alot of money and if the people don't use the airport, they still pay for it by taxes supporting it and being used to build yet another airport just down the Bay from it so they can work to pay more taxes to build a dam project (ohh more concrete...) to work to pay taxes to build a money-losing highway (ohhh more concrete) etc...

There you have it.

And by the way, the slowing of the airport sinking was quite a disappointment. You can't pour more concrete for a retaining wall if the darn thing stops sinking, so I suspect the airport will soon be delcared to be sinking again.

Lizking · « **Reply #10 on:** January 22, 2005, 05:38:28 PM »

I don't know about concrete, but Japan is not the worlds largest user of Cement, the US or China is(still open to debate). I do know that the US is the largest importer of cement, mainly due to environmental restrictions.

SOB · « **Reply #11 on:** January 22, 2005, 05:42:02 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by hawker238
No, it was water all the way to the core of the earth. They just put a big floatie out there and got it to stay.

LOL! You receive a gold star, young man. Well done.

Lizking · « **Reply #12 on:** January 22, 2005, 05:59:34 PM »

That is entirely possible, show me, Rolex, since you said I was wrong.

Rolex · « **Reply #13 on:** January 23, 2005, 07:16:36 AM »

Sorry, Lizking.

I instantly deleted the post (how did you see it??) because I was on my way out the door of a hotel early in the morning... and late for a meeting (ouch) and most importantly, I was hasty and wrong.

I apologize. I should not have said 'world leader.' Japan does pour more concrete than the U.S. but less cement. You're absolutely right. (I could be sneaky and backpedal to say Japan is the 'per-capita' leader but I won't.

)

I think the cement ranking is China, India, U.S. Japan. I'm not sure about any debate on the top spot since the China usage for 2002 was almost 700 million metric tons and I thought U.S. usage was a little over 100 million tons. Even a short tons/metric tons conversion error would change U.S. usage by only about 10%.

Anyway, that's the info I have.

[added] I forgot to add that yes, you are right - The U.S. is the largest importer of cement - by far. But that's a whole other kettle of fish.

rpm · « **Reply #14 on:** January 23, 2005, 07:46:12 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by hawker238
No, it was water all the way to the core of the earth. They just put a big floatie out there and got it to stay.