Kopitnari International Airport – Structure of Terminal Building – Design, Fabrication, Erection

The construction of Kopitnari International Airport was one of the most important Georgian brownfield investments in 2011-2012. The 5000 m2 steel terminal building with timber interior, a spectacular member of the complex, had been designed by the Dutch architect office UNStudio; under the egis of MTM Ltd. the super-structural design had been executed by CEOS Ltd.The whole project had to follow a tight time schedule: the design process started in autumn 2011; the Airport opened its gates on the 15th September, 2012. The structural design was performed by using Hungarian FEM software for analyses and the integrated BIM system, TEKLA for 3D modelling. The fabrication of the 500 tons steel structure was done by Hungarian Rutin Ltd. Every element was road-transported to the 3000 km far Kutaisi. The terminal’s structure arrived in 4 parts according to the layout-quarters. The erection process had been done by Rutin Ltd. as well, 10 workers spent 5 weeks in Georgia while finishing the complete structure. Design, BIM, fabrication and site work together led to the final result: The supporting structure was erected in time, no site corrections were needed. After finishing a Georgian member of the team made the statement: “Hungarian engineering and construction in Georgia guarantee the success!”