Construction of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 continues, and yesterday, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) chairman Yang Wei-fuu and chief executive officer Fan Hsiao-lun visited the main terminal construction site to inspect the assembly of the first giant roof structure column and to encourage the hardworking construction team.
This year, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s travel recovery has been significant, with passenger volume in the first half of the year already surpassing 60 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels. The initiation of the giant column lifting project marks a new milestone in the construction of Terminal 3, moving toward its completion in 2026, which aims to provide service for 82 million passengers annually.
NEW PHASE BEGINS
Photo courtesy of TIAC
Yang said that the giant column lifting is an important milestone in the Terminal 3 project, signifying the entry into the next critical stage as the 210,000m2 terminal begins to take shape.
With the full efforts of TIAC and the construction team, as of Monday, the overall progress of the Terminal 3 civil engineering project, jointly undertaken by Samsung C & T and RSEA Engineering Corp, has reached 19.67 percent, slightly ahead by 0.32 percent.
The steel structure from the second basement to the third floor of the terminal has been fully completed. The construction of the north boarding concourse, the first phase target, is visible with its architectural outline.
Photo courtesy of TIAC
The steel structure and reinforced concrete works below the third floor are currently underway, and it is expected to be completed by the end of next year, providing passenger services connected to the operation of Terminal 2.
Simultaneously, the main terminal, office building, north airport road, and north boarding concourse are all under construction simultaneously and have now entered a peak construction period.
After completion, they are to accommodate more passengers and flights, improve travel service quality, consolidate the airport’s position as an important aviation hub in East Asia and enhance the nation’s competitiveness.
A MASSIVE PROJECT
TIAC said that Terminal 3 measures 414m in length from east to west and 242m in width from north to south, equivalent to three laid-flat Taipei 101 buildings. With three underground floors and four above ground, the total floor area is 580,000m2, making it the largest single-volume public project in the country after the Ten Major Construction Projects.
The most distinctive features of the building are the large-span wave-like roof along with indoor and outdoor cloud ceiling systems. To reduce structural physical volume and increase stability, it is supportan ) by 16 giant columns, each 19m high and weighing about 200 tonnes, along with their trusses. Therefore, the giant column lifting is the most challenging project in the overall plan.
In order to familiarize the staff with this high-difficulty construction work in advance, the construction team has specially created a simulation model site, producing models of the giant columns, ceilings, curtains and other objects.
Through careful calculations and testing before construction, they have confirmed the construction methods and planned standard operating procedures, reducing uncertainties on the construction site while ensuring safety and control of the construction schedule.
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