Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport Terminal Building

Project Journey

This 600,000 sq. ft., $350-million air terminal building is a state-of-the-art facility whose design is described as “a series of transparent luminous pavilions designed to take full advantage of the prairie horizon and sky.”

The construction of the new facility incorporates sustainable design principles and strategies intended to reduce its environmental impact. It is the first airport in Canada and one of few in North America to achieve LEED Silver certification.

Key design features include a three-storey high open central baggage claim hall with a unique skylight system which creates a constellation effect, 16-metre high exterior glazing designed to harvest the natural light and views, and the building’s soaring 15-metre-long wing-like cantilevered roof ends.

The building structure is a hybrid of cast-in-place reinforced concrete for the lower basement with a structural steel frame and a composite steel and concrete floor structure for the upper superstructure. Notable structural features include long beam and truss spans, heavy floor loading capacities for storage, baggage handling equipment, airline tugs, complex steel grillage support for the exterior glazing system, and the suspended walkway to access TransBorder security.

The scope of commissioning on this project was significant, spanning several years and including more than 160 functional tests designed by Crosier Kilgour covering hundreds of pieces of equipment. This was in addition to a number of facility-wide integrated systems tests for specific scenarios such as fire alarms or power failure, including partial backup power failure. Through each of these scenarios, Crosier Kilgour inspected equipment throughout the building to verify operation according to design. These tests were carried out across the airport in non-secure, secure, and restricted access spaces.

Crosier Kilgour acted as structural engineer-of-record as well as the building commissioning consultant on this transformative project.