Closer look: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's Terminal East Infill, a 2017 IDEAS² Structural Steel national awardee

Showing off a dynamic design of slender steel beams, the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's Terminal East Infill in Texas was among the projects that scooped a national recognition award in the American Institute of Steel Construction's 2017 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel Awards (IDEAS²). 

The competition jury commended the Terminal East Infill — which has Austin-based Page/ as its architect and Architectural Engineers Collaborative as structural engineer — for its multi-functional design and consistency. Members of Architectural Engineers Collaborative will be presented with their award during a ceremony at the terminal next Tuesday, June 13.

Check out the Terminal East Infill below.

“The ceiling of the hall is articulated with a fully expressed structure of slender steel beams organized along a central longitudinal spine and radiating outward in response to the oval shape of the room. The beams are deeper in the center, reaching more than 7 ft in height, and taper toward the edges creating a graceful belly at mid-span of the hall. At the building perimeter, the beams merge with columns, extending down the facade as slender blades that double as important sunshades.”

“The project is remarkable due to its consistent and repetitive members,” said Ben Varela, founding principal at WORKPOINT engineering and a structural engineer juror in the competition. “Façade mullions performed double duty, also supporting the roof box plate girders.”

Check out the rest of the IDEAS2 winners in the link below.

Project credits:

Owner: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Austin, Texas; City of Austin
Structural Engineer: Architectural Engineers Collaborative, Austin, Texas (entered the project in the competition)
Architect: Page/, Austin, Texas
Design-Builder: Hensel Phelps, Austin, Texas
Fabricator: Hirschfeld Industries, San Angelo, Texas (AISC member / AISC certified)
Detailer: Consteel, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, U.K. (AISC member)
Erector: Patriot Erectors, Dripping Springs, Texas (AISC member / AISC certified)