Control tower at Ben Gurion International Airport

The new control tower at Ben Gurion International Airport is not centered around one fixed point; one side is symmetrical, the other is not, and each section was treated differently in terms of its design. To construct this geometrical complex structure, the slip forming method was used. According to this complex building method, formwork is erected for the envelope, and the entire form, including its hydraulic raising system, moves and changes along the entire height of the tower and between levels.

We first generated a 3D AutoCAD model based on the plans we were given. The model was delivered to the Austrian slip forming contractor, Gleitbau , to assist in the formwork design, and to the Italian company, Guliani, that executed the aluminum cladding of the tower and used the model to manufacture thousands of aluminum tiles and hundreds of glass plates, all differing in dimension and shape, all of which had to connect accurately to one another.

During the concrete casting, 3D laser scans of the built skeleton were performed every couple of days to compare the execution with the design, detect deviations, and design the geometric changes required in the form as a result.

When pouring of the skeleton was complete, an additional laser scan of the tower exterior was performed and the 3D model was updated based on the scan data so as to obtain an updated model that represent the true existing situation (as-made). This as-made model was delivered to the developer for facility management purposes.