Construction of an island

In January of 1987 work began on one of the most challenging construction projects in recent time. The Kansai International Airport Co. is responsible for reclaiming 1,263 acres (511 ha) of land in Osaka Bay. The resulting man-made island will be the foundation for Japan’s first 24-hr airport. This paper focuses on the various stages involved in the reclamation process. To accommodate the settlement that accompanies most reclamation work, the consolidation of the seafloor was accelerated using three methods: sand drains, sand compaction piles, and deep cement-mixing. The seafloor improvement also enhances the stability of the island’s seawall, which surrounds it entirely. The construction of this seawall is presented. Furthermore, an enormous amount of fill was used to reclaim the land that now forms the island, and the procedure for placing this fill is described. Also, some of the problems encountered during the construction phase of the project are explored.