Rebecca Maloney
Americas Press Office ,Boston
Arup delivered architecture, engineering, and commissioning services for the new $438m, 75,000ft2 Central Utilities Plant at Los Angeles International Airport.
The new Central Utilities Plant (CUP) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) opened on 24 April with a ribbon cutting event. As the engineer-of-record and lead consultant to the Clark/McCarthy Joint Venture, Arup’s innovative design has saved the airport $20m in capital costs and is expected to save $7m each year in operating costs.
“We knew from the start we selected the right project team for this project. We were able to keep the airport operating with minimal interruption to our traffic flow and will save money on both capital and operating costs. It doesn’t get any better than that as an owner/operator. Arup and the rest of the design/build team were able to deliver an innovative and cost-effective solution under budget. We were very impressed with how they approached and collaborated on problems and found solutions in order to keep the work moving forward so as not to impact our project schedule.
Gina Marie Lindsey, Executive Director of Los Angeles World Airports.
The first major design/build project undertaken by the City of Los Angeles, the new LAX CUP replaces the 50-year-old existing CUP with a more modern and efficient facility. Considered the first sustainable utility plant at any airport in the United States, the LAX CUP is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification and will be approximately 25% more energy efficient than the former facility.
“We congratulate Los Angeles World Airports for achieving an important milestone as part of their visionary and ambitious master plan for LAX. For engineers, this is the equivalent of successful open heart surgery on a conscious and functioning patient.
Andy Howard, Chief Operating Officer for the Arup Americas Region.