A Dorset-based firm has manufactured a steel terminal structure for Kumasi International Airport, shipping it more than 3,300 miles to the Ghanaian hub.
John Reid & Sons (Strucsteel) (REIDsteel) provided design, steel fabrication and supervision services for a new ultra-modern terminal building at Kumasi International Airport, as part of a multi-million-pound development to create an international aviation hub for west Africa.
The 130-strong business manufactured the steel structure in Christchurch, Dorset, before shipping all the component parts to Ghana. It also provided the roofing system to comply with a specific noise and thermal reduction specification and the high-specification glazing, including statement curtain-walling for the elevations of the building with solar controls to withstand extreme sunlight and temperatures.
REIDsteel also provided cladding, canopies, steel personnel doors and automated entrances.
The 12,500 sq m terminal – including passenger and VIP lounges, customs zone, departure gates, baggage handling and security – is at the heart of the €125m airport development. On completion, Kumasi will be able to handle more than one million passengers annually.
REIDsteel commercial director Tim Cook said: “This is one of our most prestigious projects of recent years in Africa.
“We were pleased to be able to provide an innovative solution, including value engineering, to reduce the amount of steel used in the structure and save cost for the entire building envelope, including glazing.
“It is a privilege to be involved in such a landmark development which will help transform the region, boost the local economy, help open up this region of Ghana to international travel and place Kumasi on the map as one of the premier international aviation hubs in west Africa.”
Cook added: “The terminal has an ultra-modern design and is looking stunning already. The finished development will be among the newest and most state-of-the-art in Africa.”
The redevelopment, which is being built by Contracta Construction UK, also includes parking, roads and an extension of the runway from 1,981m to 2,300m to accommodate larger aircraft.
REIDsteel used 350 tonnes of steel, 7000 sq m of roofing and 3500 sq m of glass for the building. Steel products were sourced from REIDsteel’s primary long-term supplier base in the UK.
The elevations were constructed using aluminium curtain walling with large glass panes. detailed and fabricated by REID Glazing, this sloped out at 5° to avoid interference with the airport’s radar.
More than 900 glass sealed units were used, made to an extremely high specification to achieve the necessary pane sizes, withstand wind loading and meet acoustic requirements. The largest glazing units weighed more than 300kg each. REIDsteel also provided eight large glass rooflights, each 3m wide by 42m in length.
Work on the Ghana Airport Company-run terminal will be complete later this year.
