Amman International Airport, Queen Alia

This is the largest airport of Jordan, and is located 20 miles south of Amman.

The new terminal was completed in March 2013.

It is designed by Sir Norman Foster (Foster + Partners) and its form is inspired by Bedouin tents.

It features 127 concrete shells, each measuring about 24x24m and a thickness starting from 40cm in the circumference and ending 14cm in the middle.

The construction was carried out by J&P Avax S.A. in collaboration with engineering consultant K. Zavliaris and the shell detailed design and the erection method was assigned to cubus Hellas.

The construction method applied was the partial fabrication with in situ precast concrete of the structural elements.

The steel formwork used for the precast shells created a flawless fare face concrete lower surface.

For the precast part of the structure high-performance fiber reinforced concrete with additional rebar reinforcement was used.

Particular attention was paid to the special lifting structures used for the erection of the very thin shell elements, to prevent cracking, as well as to the temporary supporting structures, bearing the loads during the concreting of the in situ parts.

Beams and column heads consist of precast sections, which were completed with concrete on their final position after the reinforcement bars were placed there.

The partial prefabrication has ensured complete control over time and cost factors, as well as the achievement of an ideal construction quality.

The aesthetic result is truly impressive.