BAM’s construction of the new 23-storey Air Traffic Visual Control (ATVC) tower at Dublin Airport, which is set to become one of the tallest structures in Ireland, is taking shape with the complex installation of a 106 tonne steel ring completed this week (Monday 28 May).

The ring, which will form Floor 1 of the control cab, was hoisted 105 metres into the air, by a specialist crane before being positioned into place on the 86.9-metre-high tower. The tower’s height will surpass the Obel Tower in Belfast (85m) and The Elysian in Cork (79m).

Once positioned, a team of specialists worked for five hours to weld the ring to secure it to the top of the tower, while the crane held it in place. The control cab will eventually accommodate 12 positions. This complex stage of the build, which was carried out on behalf of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), had taken days of meticulous planning with BAM taking advantage of the recent fine weather to complete the operation efficiently.

The new ATVC will replace the existing control tower allowing it to facilitate parallel runway operations by 2021 – something Dublin Airport currently hasn’t the capacity to do.

CEO of BAM Ireland Theo Cullinane said: ‘This was a very complex and vital stage of the building of the Air Traffic Visual Control tower. It involved the use of a crane hoisting the 106 tonne ring into the air and carefully lowering it as our team fixed it to the top of the tower. BAM has an incredible track record of perfecting structures of this complexity and once completed Dublin Airport will be getting a world class facility that will be to the benefit of Ireland. Well done Team BAM.’

The €27 million project is set to be completed in February of next year and will be handed over to IAA Technology and Operations for the installation, commissioning and testing of associated air traffic management equipment and systems.

The new facility will be ready for single runway operation during the first half of 2020 and will be ready for parallel runway operations by 2021 when the Northern parallel runway is introduced at Dublin Airport.

Peter Kearney, IAA Chief Executive Designate, said: ‘We are very pleased with the progress on the Air Traffic Visual Control tower at Dublin Airport. This will be a state-of-the-art facility that will see us continue to offer a world class service to the highest safety standards. We look forward to operating from the new tower from 2020.’

In addition to the ATVC tower, BAM will deliver an associated technical and facilities support building, a new car park replacing the existing car park and a new security building.