Air Traffic Control Tower and Base Building
A 260-foot control tower slipformed in one continuous climb beside a live runway, then handed over for a controller transition timed between two flights.
- Owner
- Confidential
- Location
- U.S.
- Market
- Airports
- Delivery
- General contracting
- Scale
- 260-ft tower
- Completed
- 2023
A 260-foot slipformed control tower and base building, built beside a live airfield and handed over for a controller transition that happened between two flights.
A control tower is a precise instrument built in busy airspace. The concrete shaft had to rise plumb with no cold joints, the cab had to sit at the exact height and orientation for controllers’ sight lines, and cranes could not break protected airspace. Radar, navigation and communications equipment had to be installed and flight-checked before controllers could leave the old tower.
The approach.
- 01
Slipformed around the clock
The shaft rose in a continuous slipform, with survey checks every shift to hold it plumb within tight limits.
- 02
Crane heights approved in advance
Every crane position and height was filed and approved for airspace, with obstruction lights and night procedures in place.
- 03
The cab set in one lift
The steel cab structure was assembled on the ground and lifted onto the shaft in a single planned pick at dawn.
- 04
Equipment proven before transition
Radar, radio and display systems were installed, tested and flight-checked so controllers could switch towers between scheduled flights.
The outcome.
“The slipform does not stop for weekends or weather. For three weeks our crews kept that tower climbing a few inches every hour.”
Concrete superintendent, PerryWester
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