Over 6,000 slab tables in continuous use at the Midfield Terminal project

The Midfield Terminal Complex (MTC) at the Abu Dhabi International Airport is currently one of the most important construction projects in the UAE. Since the airport is one of the world's fastest growing aviation hubs.

The new X-shaped airport terminal is being built between the north and south runways. At the four piers of the so-called Midfield Terminal Building (MTB), 65 large aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A380 can be accommodated. From 2017 onwards, up to 30 million passengers will be handled annually, supported by the world's largest baggage handling system. Centrepiece of the terminal is the over 50 m high terminal building, the so-called Central Processor. The seven-storey structure features an area totalling 700,000 m².

Fast and efficient provision of system equipment

The ambitious terminal project is the ultimate construction site: around 12,000 construction workers are currently working in shifts around the clock while, at peak times, this increases to almost 17,000 site personnel. This is because more than 1,000 m³ of concrete must be formed every day. Once finally completed, this airport construction project will have processed approx. 700,000 m³ of concrete and 200,000 t of steel – currently, work is progressing exactly according to schedule.

In order to comply with the short construction period, PERI is designing as well as supplying the formwork and scaffolding systems, and has impressed through the provision of competent engineering services and fast deliveries of huge quantities of materials. The concept developed by PERI engineers can be flexibly adapted to suit the different ground plan geometries and storey heights of the terminal complex.

At present, around 6,200 slab tables are in continuous use on the construction sites as only 18 months have been earmarked for realizing the shell of the Central Processor. The PERI on-site formwork provision amount to almost 65,000 m², i.e. an area nearly as large as 10 football pitches. Within a very short time, over 60,000 robust stacking frames of the proven PD 8 shoring system were delivered to the jobsite. The shoring towers are quickly and easily assembled requiring a minimum of personnel and the high loads from the floor slabs and beams are reliably and safely transferred into the ground.

Beams and floor slabs in one pour

The massive, mostly 0.85 m wide and 1.10 m high beams are being constructed together with the slabs in one pour. 6 m to 10 m high PD 8 slab tables serve as the supporting structure which can be moved manually to the next section each time by means of a transportation trolley without the use of a crane. Based on the 1.50 m frame width of the PD 8 shoring system, the standard table width for this particular project is 2.65 m. With the help of appropriately-sized diagonal braces for bay lengths between 1.25 m and 3.50 m, the table lengths can vary according to project requirements; in Abu Dhabi, slab tables mostly with 2.65 m widths and 3.60 m lengths are in continuous use.

As side formwork for the beams, mainly 75 cm wide, horizontally-positioned LIWA formwork elements are being used. One big advantage of the LIWA wall formwork system is the extremely low weight of the individual panels. As a result, striking by hand in particular is considerably simplified thus accelerating construction site procedures.

Comprehensive formwork solution also for walls and columns

In addition to the cost-effective slab formwork concept for the floor areas, PERI engineers have developed a comprehensive formwork solution for walls and columns. For realizing the total of 4,000 massive, reinforced concrete columns with 1.00 m to 2.50 m edge lengths – resulting in wide range of dimensions – the construction crew are using VARIO GT 24 column formwork and project-related SRS circular column formwork elements. Furthermore, the up to 12.50 m high reinforced concrete walls are being efficiently formed with the VARIO GT 24 girder wall formwork system.