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ABU DHABI -- Abu Dhabi Airports has announced that the final de-propping of the last arch in the roof of the new (AED19 billion) Midfield Terminal Building (MTB) is now complete.
The de-propping took three days, with 90 jacking points being used around the building for support while the process was underway. This final stage released 8,000 ton of weight onto the roof, which weighs 21,000 ton in total.
With the successful completion of the final de-propping, the structure is now completely self-supporting, said a statement from Abu Dhabi Airports.
Sulaiman Al Siksek, chief programs officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, said: "Now that the complex process of de-propping the roof structure has been completed, the construction team has started clearing the 50 support towers under the roof, which will take them another four to five weeks.
"Meantime the work can now start on the exterior enveloping of the front facade and on the preparation necessary for the interior work on the central processor."
Work is set to begin in a few months on retail units at the Duty Free area of the terminal where 73 percent of works are now complete. The baggage-handling system is near completion and is expected to be finished by the end of this year.
While, work on the airside of the airport is more than 70 percent complete and the terminal's car park is also 70 percent finished.
The Midfield Terminal, along with the existing airport infrastructure, will serve the rising number of passengers flying through Abu Dhabi, a figure expected to surpass 45 million within the next decade.
According to Abu Dhbai Airports, the Midfield Terminal will be the largest architectural structure in the capital -- visible from more than 1.5 km away.
Its roof span is 319 meter at the widest point with 18 arches, the largest of which is 180 meter and 52 meter high.
The new terminal is expected to be open next year.
© The Saudi Gazette 2016
