Suvarnabhumi Airport

This is a masterpiece of interdisciplinary work between architects and engineers. The goal to create a low energy need building with cutting edge if state-of-the-art technology required a very strict and close cooperation. A large roof trellis structure placed over the complex of functionally separate buildings unifies the site and provides an overriding consistent architectural image. Sized to accommodate future growth, the trellis provides an important functional advantage as well as an architectural one. With louvres positioned to shade the structures from direct sunlight, mechanical loads are reduced. The roof structure, of 567m by 210m in plan, is comprised of 8 supertruss girders. These have a central span of 126m and 2 cantilevering ends, which both have a length of 42m. The entire roof is supported by 16 frame-type steel columns. Creating the architectural form by its function, the geometry of the supertruss girder was determined through the level of the bending moment.