Abu Dhabi Airport's midfield terminal hits new milestone

Abu Dhabi - Contractors have started the process of de-propping the centrepiece of the building - the curved roof.

Abu Dhabi Airports' new Midfield Terminal Building (MTB) has reached a new milestone, making the project almost half complete.
The airport, which will have the capacity to handle 30 million passengers a year, is 55 per cent complete. It is expected to be 70 per cent complete by the end of 2015.
Contractors have started the process of de-propping the centrepiece of the building - the curved roof.
In this first of nine de-props, a team of 45 specialists with 60 hydraulic jacks removed 30 temporary supports used for constructing the roof element.
The supporting structure for the MTB central roof consists of 18 inclined arches of varying heights and a roof grillage in total weighing around 20,000 tonnes.
By completing the de-propping process by February 2016, the roof will be a free-standing structure. It will feature the world's longest indoor arch spanning 180 metres, at a height of 52 metres, with a weight of around 1,000 metric tonnes.
Ali Majed Al Mansoori, chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: "We are proud to maintain our track record of achieving key construction milestones safely in spite of the project's architectural complexity. We owe this success to our construction team, contractors and the capital projects and construction division," he said.
"The MTB is set to become the gateway to the capital city and play an important role in raising the profile of Abu Dhabi as a world class transportation hub. It is also contributing to the diversification of the emirate's economy by fostering growth in other industries through increased connectivity," he said.
The first base for the Midfield Terminal Building's roof structure, which holds nine arches, was assembled in October 2013.
Sulaiman Al Siksek, chief programmes officer, said: "Although we've reached a milestone on this project by beginning the de-propping, the hard work on creating this iconic terminal building continues. We have an army of 20,000 workers on this 3.5 million square metre site, supported by a fleet of the latest construction equipment, including 24 tower and mobile cranes."
The steelwork for the four piers is complete and construction is under way for the enclosure structure, including the glass curtain walling and roofing for the four piers, he said.
Once the building envelope and glazing for all four piers is finished later this year, the focus will move towards the inside of the building: fit-out, systems integration and all other infrastructure such as a baggage handling system with capacity to handle over 19,000 bags per hour through its 10 reclaim carousels and 27km of conveyors.
The MTB will boost Abu Dhabi International Airport's total capacity to over 45 million passengers a year. A second runway and a third terminal have been completed.
- haseeb@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi