Heathrow Terminal 5 (T5) was one of Europe’s largest and most complex construction project. The objective was to increase the airports capacity from 67 million passengers per year to 95 million. The overall expenditure of the project amounted to £4.6 billion; the key successes of the project were: timely completion schedules, adherence to budget and excellent safety records. The construction of T5 represented a breakthrough in megaproject management in the United Kingdom.
T5 was a succession of high profile projects that involved other disciplines and numerous stakeholders. The construction phase began in September 2002. Prior to the excavation commencement, an archaeological dig was carried out and over 80,000 artefacts were discovered. …show more content…
The relocation of the rivers added further environmental obligations like the capture and reconstruction of the natural habitat. T5 involved the management of 16 projects under a single project manager. At its pinnacle, the project employed over 60,000 employees. It was an enormous challenge for Laing O’Rourke construction consortium overseeing such a huge workforce. The construction of the tunnels and other environmental projects required skilled labourers that were expensive. In-fact some excavation work for the tunnel earth works had to be negotiated through proviso of joint ventures (Major Projects Association, …show more content…
They are managed based on the decisions and urgency of the projects. The use of Project Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT) is mostly used in all projects and the uniqueness of a project is restricted to the nature of the project but the management of the project is basically the same (Cattani et al, 2011).
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The key differences between Denver Airport and Heathrow are that T5 utilised $8.6 billion while the Denver used $730 million. The total number of projects undertaken by T5 was much higher than those in Denver. T5 was more complex, was completed on time and the expenditure was within the budget. The Denver project surpassed its original budget, from $500 million to $730 million, it took more time than it was expected but its initial launch was successful unlike T5.
The other common challenges that faced both projects were the integration of the transport system. The huge number of passengers expected on the airport everyday makes the transport system to be a very big issue.
The other challenge that faced Denver project were the changes in economic conditions hence the initial cost of the project that was originally budgeted for $500 million finally cost $730 million (Olinger & Painter,