Hollywood Int'l Airport Fuel Farm Expansion

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

This building replaces the existing offices for the operation tasked with fueling jets at Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL), where fuel is transferred from nearby Port Everglades to ground storage tanks at this facility. An existing semi-circular drive with a fuel truck filling station encompasses the new 2-story structure. The building was designed with tilt-up walls of 7 1/4" & 9 1/4" structural wythes, 2" of XPS insulation, and a 3 1/4" architectural wythe. The insulation aided in both increasing the R-value of the walls and reducing airport noise inside the building.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

The FLL site was particularly challenging for even a small tilt-up project. The 14-panel structure was sandwiched between powerlines less than 15 feet to the east, and the fueling island 18 feet to the west. Casting beds were located in an existing parking lot to the southwest of the structure. Truckloads of sand were imported to level the area and protect the asphalt. Due to a 15-inch slope across the lot two separate casting beds were terraced to minimize the amount of sand required to create a level surface. Concrete placements were staged from a separate, adjacent facility from where a large boom pump stretched over the fence to reach the far end of the casting area.

Assembly and disassembly of the crane precluded access to the fueling station, requiring that the fuel trucks be topped off the prior evening. The height of the boom was limited to 100 feet, and this restriction along with the many other obstacles preventing us from getting near the building dictated the employment of a 300-ton crane to erect panels that average under 63,000 pounds.

On the day of erection, the nearby powerlines were deenergized, necessitating that all panels be in place by the end of the day. While this may not sound like any great feat for only 14 panels, the amount of walking, stretching, and squeezing between the retention curbs in the fueling lane made it a long day.