Client: Holder, Edison-Foard, RJ Leeper
Location: Charlotte, NC
Scope: Turnkey Concrete, Civil
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We secured contracts for Concrete, Sitework, and Deep Foundations for Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s lobby expansion, the seventh busiest airport in North America. Our initial hurdle revolved around logistics. We had to operate during unconventional hours, meticulously plan even the most basic construction tasks, and due to lack of space we had to place everything as it was delivered.
We had to construct four sets of twin concrete shafts each 90’ tall and joined by two concrete spandrel beams 70’ up. To add to the complexity, a concrete column with matching height needed to be placed halfway in between the shafts. Constructing the beams at this height using equipment that would not impede other work would be another significant challenge. We addressed this by erecting the world’s tallest PERI PD shoring system, enabling simultaneous installation of both shafts and a column. (see attached picture)
A third challenge was the basement wall. The wall was 20’ tall with steel plates embedded in the top of the inside face. The wall had to be placed directly against the excavation shoring, meaning only one side of the wall could be formed. One-sided walls are not uncommon, however, during our planning we discovered that the wall foundation would not support the larger formwork required for a one-sided condition. We opted for a shotcrete system and a custom form design that could be cantilevered off of the foundations placed in the level above.
