Dubai International Airport

The expansion of Dubai International Airport includes construction of Terminal 3, Concourse 2 and Concourse 3. Concourse 2 is 950 m and Concourse 3 is 600 m long. A self-adjusting pre-stressed tension rod facade system has been developed. It is used for all 84 ‘teardrop-windows’ in Concourse 2 ,as well as for the 58 ´teardrop-windows´ in Concourse 3. The structure of the ´teardrop-windows´, which differ slightly in geometry, consists of two orthogonally arranged tension rod strings. They are connected to an edge beam and horizontal compression members, therefore an in itself closed statically system is formed. No reaction forces caused by pre-tensioning have to be carried by the primary construction. A combination of pinned and restraint free supports causes low constraint forces within the facade system. Consequently the structure is widely decoupled from influences and especially deflections caused by the primary structure. The pre-tensioning level of the facade system is controlled by detailed geometrical specifications for fabrication stage as well as within the erection phase. Hence the measurement of pre-tension forces can be reduced to random spot checks.