LOR INFOWORKS 2 - Flipbook - Page 22
INFOWORKS 2019 _ ISSUE 2
THE ROLE
Laing O’Rourke’s general manager for buildings,
airports and defence within Australia (14 years
of experience in airport construction).
THE EXPERIENCE
Laing O’Rourke has recently completed work at Brisbane
and Sydney’s airports, and now we’re positioning ourselves
for further terminal builds and redevelopments in both cities.
My job is all about understanding our clients, and understanding
our differentiators. I make sure we are continuously checking
in, making sure the right capability and the right specialities
are in place.
There’s a big opportunity right now, as the aviation sector
is growing, particularly in Australia. International passenger
demand is a key factor and the global economic centre of
gravity has shifted from Europe to Asia. There’s a 7-9 hour flight
rule in situations like this, and cities within that rule – such as
Sydney and Brisbane – are direct beneficiaries.
It’s my job to make sure we are in the best possible position to
support the client in maximising these opportunities, and more.
THE SPECIALISM
Cross-global knowledge sharing has a big part to play in
our aviation specialism. There are two dimensions to this:
formal and informal. Formal is made up of communication
channels and marketing techniques, and informal is good
old-fashioned networking and relationship building.
We’re in regular contact with Jonathan Adams in the UK hub,
and Gareth Jacques at Manchester airport [LOR’s project
director, Gareth Jacques is currently leading our team in the
transformation of Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2]. We are
following their projects closely, both formally and informally,
to see what knowledge can be leveraged into our projects
here in Australia.
We proactively build relationships between our teams and
ultimately avoid a silo mentality. We’re all in this together
as a business, no matter where in the world we are.
INFRASTRUCTURE
21
At Laing O’Rourke we have an aviation specialism as well
as a global capability, but through continuous communication
and knowledge sharing we’re able to operate locally.
It’s important to remember that, despite it being a global
sector, there are only a few airport projects happening in
the world at any one time. It’s a very tight, and very niche
industry – one that we lead in.
What ultimately sets us apart is our ability to navigate the
intricacy of the sector, in the complexity of the airport
environment; solving all problems and meeting all
objectives and expectations.
THE CHALLENGES
In terms of a major expansion or extension, a huge
challenge is always integrating new systems into the
existing ones. These could be security, passport control,
fire, passenger flow – or a combination of all of them.
It can be a very intricate operation and, depending on
the age of the existing facilities, there may be non-compliant
systems to contend with.
The biggest challenge will always be keeping disruption to
an absolute minimum. The aeronautical business has to keep
operating, or the world grinds to a halt. A brand new terminal
building is all about looking ahead, but it’s critical to not lose
sight of what’s already happening.
THE FUTURE
Aviation digital megatrends are the things to watch,
especially in terms of passenger mobility and experience.
Everything will be streamlined, and points of contact
minimised, alongside a reduction of passenger ‘pain points’.
How you arrive at the terminal will be different, as will how
you check in and how your bags are handled.
There may no longer be a need for tickets, or even a person
to check your passport – it may all be done via autonomous
vehicles and biometrics. An airport will become more of
a destination in its own right, with a much richer offering
of choice for the passenger.
CAR PARKS
DEFENCE