International Services Expansion | George Bush Intercontinental Airport | New Terminal E

Structural Engineering, Prime Engineer of Record Summary of scope of work performed: This new $225 million and 600,000 square feet terminal is designed to provide maximum flexibility.

It can use as domestic and international arrivals facility at the same time and can accommodate different type or size of jets. The terminal is a three story “U” shape building with a three-story high atrium space. The two legs of the “U” are approximately 600 feet long and the middle section over 1,200 feet.

In the middle of the “U” is the crown jewel of the building; it has an elliptical floor plan and an elliptical atrium space that extend over 55 feet about level two. The terminal foundation consists of mainly drilled piers and some spread footing. The floor system is composite metal deck with concrete slab, with combination of moment resisting and “K” brace frames for wind bracing.

The “U” shape terminal is separated into seven sections with expansion joint in between each section and each with it own wind-resisting frame. The elliptical atrium space is frame around with an elliptical moment frame which is supported by transfer girder & beam at level three, and will provided a column free area below for walkway that travel throughout the terminal.

The typical roof framing is metal deck over steel bar joist. The atrium roof framing is a 4 ½” acoustical metal deck over a curve steel tube member that span 60 feet to a 9 feet deep vierendeel truss. The vierendeel truss has varies from a typical span of 45 feet to over 76 feet. There are four-vierendeel trusses that span over 45 feet, and is reinforced with two drape cables in the shape of a parabola. The total structural steel weight for the terminal is 7 ½ million tons.

The entire design was fast tracked (27 months schedule) to accommodate the scheduled opening date for Continental Airlines. It is designed to have 60% of the terminal (one leg
plus the ellipse area) open on June 2003 and six more months for the remaining portion.