Description

The strong increase of airfreight traffic at Schiphol airport near Amsterdam brought about a growing demand for logistic infrastructure. Therefore, in the southeast area of the airport, adjacent to the runways, a new freight-handling zone with halls was built. Here, the immediate reshipment of the freight from air to road traffic takes place.

Benthem Crouwel developed a functional hall for the two main users of the airfreight area, Avia Presto and Lufthansa. A transverse partition subdivides the space into a larger area for Avia Presto and a smaller one for Lufthansa. Additionally, the hall is split into two functional zones along its length: one wide, flexible space with an area of 96 m x 336 m where freight is delivered, packed onto pallets and logistically monitored; and a narrower side (19 m x 336 m), which faces the runway, where airfreight containers and pallets are stored.

The hall is spanned by a monopitched roof with large skylights, which also covers the road traffic delivery zone at its low end. The different storage systems determine the clear height of the respective hall areas: in the wider section of the hall, goods are conventionally moved with forklifts and a height of 8.50 m is sufficient there. In the narrower section the mechanical storage system requires a height of roughly 18 m. Since the entire hall has been fitted with a sprinkler system, further partitions for fire protection are not necessary. The roof consists of a steel truss structure supported by columns positioned on a 36 m x 32 m grid.

This building was erected – like almost all large-span storage halls in the Netherlands – as a steel construction in order to keep building cost as low as possible. The roof’s primary girders consist of a 3 m tall truss made of H-profiles and span 36 m along the length of the hall. In contrast, the transverse secondary girders are very similar to Vierendeel-girders. They consist of two half I-profiles as top and bottom chord, and the steel section’s web has been increased by the introduction of metal sheets. The span of the secondary girders is reduced by struts at their bearings. This measure also prevents the primary girders from tilting.

Within the hall complex there are three office zones. A larger office wing for Avia Presto has been attached to the building as a separate volume. Across the ground floor, facing the runway, the offices of the freight hall management are located. The Lufthansa offices are situated inside the hall, and on the upper floor offices for external users and customers are to be found. A bridge at a height of 10.50 m links the office wings on the two sides of the hall without interfering with the activities in the main space. This zone is indicated by a change of the roof level and is emphasised by transparent side walls. The façade facing the runway is made of transparent panels affording unobstructed views over the goods and providing daylight that penetrates deeply into the hall.

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Originally published in: Jürgen Adam, Katharina Hausmann, Frank Jüttner, Industrial Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2004.