July/August - 19

CONSULTANT DISCUSSION
major trend right now. We embraced
that direction while developing the
plan. The benefits are significant,
extending beyond IT. It provides
better control over various building
systems, including lighting, switch
gear, and HVAC. This level of control
allows proactive measures, such as recognizing
the lifespan of units and conducting
regular maintenance before
failures occur.
In essence, the objective of this
intelligent building approach is to
have foresight and knowledge to
optimize maintenance and operations,
rather than reactive measures
after failures happen.
AB: Is the adoption of digital twin
technology now something airports
need to embrace?
EH: The adoption of building
modeling has been widespread and
well-received. It has been in the
public eye for quite some time now,
and the modeling aspect has become
more prevalent and familiar. People
are witnessing the advantages of using
smart buildings. I believe that this type
of building modeling and delivering
the final product will continue to be
prominent.
Creating such models requires a
significant effort, but it offers longterm
benefits, especially for buildings
with a lifespan of 30, 40, or even 50
years. Investing in the upfront work
is worthwhile. We have experience
with retrofitting asset management
systems, which are more labor-intensive.
In these cases, physical tagging
is involved, where QR codes are
printed and affixed to equipment
for scanning purposes.
Both the logical and physical
aspects are essential. For instance,
imagine going into a major airport
and having to identify and tag all
the equipment. It can be a challenging
task, but the effort pays
off. Currently, there is a significant
trend in North America, with
numerous new construction facilities
being planned and developed.
This is one of the reasons why I
expect this type of progress to continue
in the industry.
At Arora, we have a great team of
individuals skilled in this area that
worked with KCAD long before we
got involved on the systems design
side who wrote the standard then
helped execute it.
AB: How will the MCI project serve
as a role model for other airports
going forward with this level of
airport information system in place?
EH: In my opinion, without any
specific data to support it, I believe
that this facility is one of the first and
largest of its kind. Considering its
size, at this point in time it surpasses
other large greenfield new airport
construction. This facility represents
a full-scale, extensive deployment of
asset management within an airport
setting. I believe there will be valuable
lessons learned from this endeavor, and
I expect there will be white papers
and a wealth of knowledge gained by
our team.
I agree with your statement that
this project will serve as a role model.
The complexity and scale of the
undertaking, particularly in a new
construction environment, makes
it remarkable. The fact that they are
involved from the beginning and will
soon witness the final results sets a
precedent. To my knowledge, there
is no comparable airport project of
this magnitude in North America
complete to this level. Arora is currently
working with a lot of airports
on implementation and execution of a
Maximo environment that may match
its size and complexity, but within an
existing facility. 
Planning and Design | Program & Construction Management
Facilities Management | IT | Asset Management / IWMS
Arora was proud to provide
our full suite of services
for the new single terminal
and parking at Kansas
City International Airport,
including:
 Establishing project design
standards
 Airport information systems
design, engineering and
construction administration
 Asset management,
including BIM-FM integration
 Operations and Maintenance
support via Arora Technology
Group's Arora ATLAS suite
of mobile products & Smart
Restroom technologies
LEARN MORE AT:
www.aroraengineers.com/project/kansas-cityinternational-airport-mci-airport-terminalmodernization/
aroraengineers.com
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July/August

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August