John Reid & Sons (Strucsteel) Ltd has completed work on a multi-million-pound development to create an international aviation hub for west Africa.
REIDsteel provided design, steel fabrication and supervision services for the ‘ultra-modern’ terminal building at Kumasi International Airport in Kumasi, Ghana.
The 130-strong business manufactured the steel structure in Christchurch, Dorset, before shipping all the component parts more than 3,300 miles to Ghana.
It also provided the roofing system to comply with a specific noise and thermal reduction specification and the high-specification glazing, including ‘statement’ curtain-walling for the elevations of the building with solar controls to withstand extreme sunlight and temperatures.
Other elements included cladding, canopies, steel personnel doors and automated entrances.
The 12,500 sq m terminal – including passenger and VIP lounges, customs zone, departure gates, baggage handling and security – is at the heart of the €125 million (£104 million) airport development. It will be able to handle more than one million passengers annually.
REIDsteel, which has exported to more than 140 countries to date, has completed its phase of works with main contractor Contracta Construction UK Limited, progressing towards a completion later this year 2022, for Ghana Airport Company Ltd.
REIDsteel commercial director Tim Cook said: “This is one of our most prestigious projects of recent years in Africa.
“We were pleased to be able to provide an innovative solution, including value engineering, to reduce the amount of steel used in the structure and save cost for the entire building envelope, including glazing.
“It is a privilege to be involved in such a landmark development which will help transform the region, boost the local economy, help open up this region of Ghana to international travel and place Kumasi on the map as one of the premier international aviation hubs in west Africa.”
He added: “The terminal has an ultra-modern design and is looking stunning already. The finished development will be among the newest and most state-of-the-art in Africa.”
The redevelopment, which is being built by Contracta Construction UK Limited, also includes car parking, roads and an extension of the runway from 1981m to 2300m to accommodate larger aircraft.
REIDsteel used 350 tonnes of steel, 7000 sq m of roofing and 3500 sq m of glass for the building. Steel products were sourced from REIDsteel’s primary long-term supplier base in the UK.
The elevations were constructed using aluminium curtain walling with large glass panes. It sloped out at five degrees to avoid interference with the airport’s radar, all detailed and fabricated by REID Glazing.
More than 900 glass sealed units were used, made to an extremely high specification to achieve the necessary pane sizes, withstand wind loading and meet acoustic requirements. The largest glazing units weighed more than 300kg each.
REIDsteel also provided eight large glass rooflights, each 3m wide by 42m in length.
REIDsteel, founded in 1919, is a four-times winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.
Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is responsible for Kumasi International Airport operations along with all airports and aerodromes in Ghana. It is an implementing agency under the country’s Ministry of Aviation.
ENDS
