Harbors in the sky: the

fascinating world of
artificial island

a presentation by Simran Fathima

Guided by sreevidya mam
 contents
1 Introduction
Role of artificial islands in
2
various fields
Factors to be considered for
3
design of artificial island
4 Construction process
5 Types of load imposed
6 Controversial side effects
7 Case study
8 conclusion
9 reference
 INTRODUCTION
An artificial island is a human-made landmass constructed
in bodies of water, typically using land reclamation and
dredging techniques.

They are constructed by expanding the existing islets and

by construction on existing reef or merging some natural
islands into a bigger island

These engineered islands serve various purposes, from

providing space for urban development and infrastructure
to supporting tourism and industrial activities. While they
offer solutions to land scarcity, their construction requires
careful planning to mitigate environmental impacts on
marine ecosystems and coastal areas.

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Role of artificial islands in various fields

• Artificial island have been used since the 17th century for coastal defence and as extension of the land base
• Artificial island are being used as oil exploration and production farmhouse
• Japan has several artificial island with a total area of 1000 sq.km
• Artificial island are being used to provide platform for coal mine ventilation shaft access, hence it positively
contributes to safety, effective ventilation and reserves of a coal mine.
• Technology of artificial island construction is available to construct islands in water depth of 70 m.
• Artificial islands become a focus for sea life, enhancing the marine environment.
 factors to be considered for design of
artificial island

o The depth of water is most important factor that influences on the design of artificial
island, more the depth more the design and execution
o Height of waves that hit on the structure
o Currents of the ocean
o Existing pipelines or cables
o Environmental conservation and flora and fauna in that region
o Source of materials
o Fisheries consideration
o Earthquake risk
o Top construction materials available in the nearby areas

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Construction process
The construction procedure of artificial island includes the following steps:
❑Dredging
❑Bed preparation
❑Concreting
 dredging
• It is the process of removing sediment and debris from the bottom
layer of water bodies to create harbors, navigable channels, for
deepening waterways etc.

• Also termed as maritime transportation

• It is done by a special type of machine called dredger

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 Methods of dredging used depends upon the following
factors:

▪ * Dredging depth

▪ * Kind of soil

▪ * Type of operational area

▪ * Water depth

▪ * Density hardness strength and grain size of soil, etc.

▪ * Cost efficiency

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 bed preparation
o The preparation of a strong and hard bed on the water strata
is prominent step in construction of the artificial island. After
the dredging of top loose soil is done and hard strata is found,
only then is the process of bed preparation started.

o Good quality coarse grain sand is ideal for bed preparation.

This sand is directly dumped into the dredged construction site
from the trailer.

o When the water becomes shallow, the sand is transported

with the help of stationary dredger to the required places.
o When the water becomes shallow, the sand is transported with the help of
stationary dredger to the required places.

o The sand is protected from water waves by rack revetments and layer of
armor rocks.

o On the top surface of sand, bitumen emulsion is sprayed followed by layer of

soil.

o To reduce soil erosion suitable grass is planted on the embankments.

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 concreting
• Temporary tube piles, sheet piles and tie rods are driven into the sea bed so
as to support the boundary rocks.
• Boundary rock bunds are placed on either sides of sheet piles.
• Between the rock bunds, hydraulic fill is deposited to remove seawater and
form an island.
• Concrete armor unit are placed permanently all around the island to protect
it from waves.
• After piles are driven into the sea bed to stabilize the concrete armor unit.
• Inside part of island is excavated and water barrier is installed
• Thick concrete slab is laid down at base

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Need for construction
o Wind energy generation in seas and ocean

o Underwater mining of mineral resources

o Tourism and recreational purposes like hotels and parks

o Infrastructure development of ports and airports

o Extended airport runways

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 Types of load imposed
Mainly three types of loads are considered while
construction of an artificial island they are:
➢ Permanent load or dead load
Loads which includes the weight of the structure
and superstructure coming up on it, machineries
and equipment that are permanently fixed,
ballast water pressure and earth pressure

➢ Variable or Live load

❑ Permanent or dead load
Loads such as machineries, materials etc. that are
placed at the time of construction are part of this
❑ Variable or live load load

❑ Environmental loads ➢ Environmental loads

Natural loads like wind pressure, climatic
changes, wave and tidal loads, ocean currents
and earthquake loads are to be considered
while designing of artificial island.

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 Controversial side effects

▪ To prepare the artificial island, a large amount of sand is required . This

preparation of sand may cause environmental pollution. For example,
Singapore dredged five hundred million tons of sand to prepare an artificial
island. This sand removal caused desertification to a fishing town, having a
bad effect on the ecosystem.

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 Case study:
hong-kong
international
airport

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 Introduction:
Hong Kong International Airport , also known as Chek Lap Kok
Airport, is one of the world's busiest airports and a crucial
transportation hub for Asia. The airport is located on a large,
artificial island off the coast of Hong Kong, which was
reclaimed from the sea in a massive land reclamation project.
The worlds largest and most demanding construction projects
ever attempted. Designed by Sir Norman Foster.

The simultaneous construction of the longest double-decker

suspension bridge, a 6-mile-long massive underwater tunnel,
22 miles of highways, and under-decker speed rails along with
the construction of one of the largest and most advanced
airports, the project’s extensiveness cannot be denied. the
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is considered to be one
of the most complicated architectural projects in history.

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 Design of hong-kong international airport

• Need for a new airport arose in the 1980s due to Hong Kong's rapid economic and population growth.
• Kai Tak Airport was inadequate and posed risks to the population, necessitating a replacement.
• Lack of available space in Hong Kong led to the proposal of constructing a new island in the South China Sea.
• Extensive infrastructure development, including highways, tunnels, and bridges, was planned to connect the new island to
the Hong Kong mainland.
• The project faced a tight 7-year deadline due to the political transition as China took over Hong Kong, adding pressure
to the construction timeline.
• Land reclamation involved reducing two mountainous islands, Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau, and filling the gap between
them with over 600 million tonnes of material, expanding Hong Kong's land area by 1%.

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• The airport features two parallel runways, each 3800 meters long and 60 meters wide, with a design that symbolizes flight
through a streamlined form.
• The terminal building incorporates a lightweight roof canopy, prioritizing natural lighting and a spacious passenger
concourse, with technical equipment and services strategically placed beneath the main concourse for streamlined
operations.
• The airport includes a modern air cargo terminal capable of handling a significant volume of cargo, managing
approximately $9 billion worth of goods annually.

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 Construction :
1.The roof was engineered with adjustable welded and bolted
connections to accommodate structural movement during
typhoon winds, inspired by the wishbone-bearing connection of a
1930s Mercedes racing car.

2.The predominantly glass sides of the terminal were designed to

break during strong typhoon winds to relieve pressure, enhancing
the overall resilience of the structure.

3.The airport features two parallel runways, each 3,800 meters

long and 60 meters wide, contributing to the airport's capacity and
facilitating efficient air traffic operations.

4.During its inauguration, Terminal 1 was the largest terminal in the

world and remains the third-largest, with its design emphasizing
flexibility and resilience to withstand high-speed winds and
extreme weather conditions.

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Land reclamation
• site with mountainous islands, located 16 miles from downtown,
was chosen for the construction of the airport.

• The mountains on the site were removed, resulting in the

removal of approximately 200 million tons of rocks using giant
earth movers.

• The excavated rubble was utilized to fill the sea, connecting the
smaller islands into one larger artificial island, marking one of the
largest land-moving exercises ever undertaken.

• The massive scale of the project involved removing approximately

600 million tons of material, equivalent to filling the ancient
Roman Coliseum 200 times.

• To connect the airport to the main city, a one-mile-long tunnel,

featuring six lanes, was constructed beneath the sea, ensuring
efficient transportation links between the airport and the urban
center.

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Bridge construction ▪ Two bridges, featuring towers reaching the height of 60
stories, were constructed with the support of 3-foot
diameter cables, collectively weighing up to 15,000 tons.
The complexity of the assembly led to the construction of
the bridges in mid-air, a challenging yet successful feat.

▪ Over the course of five years, prefabricated deck sections

weighing 1000 tons each were elevated by cables to a
height of 200 feet and installed to complete the bridge
span at the required level.

▪ To connect the tunnel and the bridge, the construction of

two new super highways necessitated the extension of the
coastline, involving the dumping of 25 million tons of
aggregate into the sea, extending the coastline by over half
a mile.

▪ Terminal plans included the creation of the largest enclosed

space, covering an area of over a mile long and
encompassing 6 million square feet of land.

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Construction of tunnel ▪ Mammoth pre-cast concrete steel structures, each weighing
35,000 tons (comparable to the weight of an ocean liner),
were laid 50 feet underwater for up to a mile,
interconnected and sealed with watertight seals. Hydraulic
jacks were used to carefully remove the seals, ensuring an
airtight connection between each structure.

▪ To address a 3-mile-wide stretch of water where a tunnel

was unfeasible due to heavy traffic, the construction
proposed the use of bridges. These bridges were designed
to span the islands and provide sufficient clearance for large
ships to pass beneath them.

▪ Construction work was primarily conducted during

nighttime to minimize disruptions to public transportation
and traffic.

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Conclusions
Artificial islands show how people can create new land in the sea. They help cities
grow and connect to the world.

The Hong Kong International Airport is an example of how technology and smart
planning can make this happen.

It's also a reminder that we need to take care of nature while building our cities.

The creation of artificial island is nothing new but we may be on the cusp of an
expansion in their use. For this reason we would be wise to begin attempting to learn
about the impacts of these structures so that we can make informed decisions

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 reference
• Establishment and Repetition Survey of Primary GNSS Control Network of Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge – oct
28,2021
- Dijun Wu Ph.D , Wei Xiong , Jiming Guo, Ph.D
• Full-Scale Loading Test of Jet Grouting in the Artificial Island–Immersed Tunnel Transition Area of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–
Macau Sea Link – Nov 21,2022
- Yan-ning Wang , Hao-ran Qin , and Lin-shuang Zhao, A.M.ASCE
• The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case study –
June,2023
-Muhammad Salman Afzal a, Furqan Tahir a, Sami G. Al-Ghamdi
• Failure mode and mechanism of large cylinder structures for artificial islands on soft clay – February ,2022
-Lei Song , Hongfen Zhao , Jinhui Li , Qingjie Yang
• Flood risk assessment of artificial islands under compound rain-tide-wind effects during tropical cyclones – December 2022
-Yan Li , Ping Shen , Yu Yan , Wan-Huan Zhou

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Thank you!