Airport redevelopment demolition earns contract over $1m award

The US contractor’s winning project was carried for Clark Construction as part of a $2.5 billion airport redevelopment programme launched by the City of Houston and United Airlines.

The judges praised the delivery of these major demolition works within an active international airport, in particular noting the impressive temporary supports and carefully phased dismantling process.

The $21.3 million demolition package for the Terminal B redevelopment at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, involved the removal of more than 350,000 sq ft of infrastructure while all airport operations continued.

Dealing with multiple aspects of infrastructure, Grant Mackay tackled two 300 ft-long concrete pedestrian tunnels above roadways carrying more than 12,000 vehicles daily, an elevated arrivals roadway above critical airport utilities and two 98 ft-high Helix structures above active train lines and passenger routes.

Additional restrictions to the tunnel demolition included overnight closures between 10pm and 4am.

(L-R) Host Matt Dawson with Chris Medlin and Caleb Townes of Grant Mackay receiving the award from Volvo CE’s Martijn Donkersloot and Tony den Hoed (Image: KHL)

Working with Sigma Engineering, the company developed phased demolition and temporary shoring systems to maintain structural stability and protect operational infrastructure.

Nearly 80,000 labour hours were completed without an OSHA recordable injury or operational incident. The project also achieved a 98% material diversion rate, including recycling more than 30,000 tons of concrete, nearly 1,900 tons of steel and 325 tons of rebar.

“This award belongs to every member of our team: the field crews, operators, project managers, estimators and office staff who poured their hard work, skill and grit into this project. When the job gets tough, this team shows up and gets it done together,” said the company.