Abu Dhabi celebrates Midfield Terminal milestone ahead of schedule

The large base was assembled in front of an audience which included company representatives, contractors and media, to commemorate this key milestone in the construction of the new terminal.
Abu Dhabi Airports said the project is on track for completion in 2017.
Chief executive Tony Douglas, said: “We are truly proud of hitting this important milestone ahead of schedule as it is a clear indicator of Abu Dhabi Airports’ unwavering commitment to delivering the Midfield Terminal Building on time and on budget.”
The buttress assembled today is one of 18 substructures that will form the base of the MTB steel structure. This base will hold the nine arches that comprise the building’s roof, which will have an arch span of 180 metres at its widest point. It is worth noting that the whole steel structure of the MTB contains 85,000 tonnes of steel and the assembled buttress today makes up 0.1% of this entire structure.
Due to the complexity of the MTB design structure, and in an initiative to support the delivery of this mega project on time, Abu Dhabi Airports carried out a trial phase for the assembly of the buttress steel structure. Several weeks ago, a mock-up of the buttress was assembled at the MTB site, which was visible from the E10 Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway. This trial phase enabled engineers and architects to practice and log their learnings, which helped overcome challenges that were faced in achieving this critical milestone.
Earlier this month, Abu Dhabi Airports recorded over 10 million man working hours with zero lost-time injuries during the on-going construction of the MTB. This high level performance was realized through the collective efforts of Abu Dhabi Airports, TCA JV, AECOM, and other involved parties to ensure that the highest health, safety and environment practices are upheld throughout all stages of construction.