Pity today’s U.S. airport construction manager. He or she must deliver high-tech, glitzy, and complex facilities to meet growth demand, new regulations and stiffer competition for passengers and cargo. Billions of dollars in projects must be fast-tracked, harmonious and on budget, even when construction parameters waiver, airport operations dominate and work is governed by inflexible public sector rules of engagement.
Welcome to the world of the men and women who must build the airports of tomorrow, stuck with the project delivery vehicles of yesterday. “Airports are the worst of all worlds,” says Steven Grossman, aviation director for the Port of Oakland, Calif. “It’s a private sector mentality governed by public sector authority.”