Project: Bush Terminal B Southside Replacement
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is the 7th busiest airport in the nation with five terminals that are home to seventeen airlines offering flights to more than 170 destinations worldwide. The airport is the largest hub for the largest airline in the world, United Airlines. United’s new 225,000sf $97 million dollar Terminal B will be nearly four times the size of the previous south concourse and will consist of a three level structure connected to three ramp level boarding wings that will provide a better customer experience, modern gate lounge areas and restroom facilities. Terminal B is the primary facility in Houston for United Express flights with more than 300 daily flights to the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The new facility will provide thirty additional gates.
Camarata Masonry Systems, LTD (CMS) supplied and installed over 97,590 regular 8”x8”x16” lightweight CMU for bathrooms, mechanical rooms and storage rooms on the interior build out of Phase 1. The exterior façade of the three boarding wings were clad with 90,000 6”x8”x16” White Limestone Burnished CMU. The interior corridors of the three wings have 86,520 reinforced 8”x8”x16” White Limestone Polished CMU. At the window heads and sills11,330 8”x8”x16” Pewter Polished CMU where used to highlight the openings.
Polished Face Units are new to the Houston region and require special care as they are difficult, if not impossible, to patch. Each unit was packaged with a water repellant cardboard so that it would not disintegrate from the moisture of the freshly manufactured units and would continue to act as a protective barrier to keep the delicate faces and edges from rubbing against one another. Once the material arrived at the jobsite, all units were examined and excessively chipped or frayed units were separated for use above the ceiling. Then, all packing materials and construction debris were immediately gathered up and placed in waste containers to prevent damage to functioning aircraft. The mason tenders exercised extreme care in handling the units during distribution and the masons were careful not to damage the units during installation. Terminal B is the largest installation of Headwaters Polished CMU in the United States.