2021 CFSEI CREATIVE DETAIL AWARD WINNER

SECOND PLACE

ADTEK ENGINEERS, INC. – LAGUARDIA AIRPORT, QUEENS, NEW YORK

LaGuardia Airport
Queens, New York 11371

Owner: LaGuardia Gateway Partners
Architect of Record:  Parsons Brinkerhoff/HOKJV
Cold-Formed Steel Specialty Engineer: Andrew Newland, P.E., ADTEK Engineers, Inc.
Award Entry Submitted by: Andrew Newland, P.E., ADTEK Engineers, Inc.

Project Background

LaGuardia Airport (LGA), located in Queens, New York, first opened commercially in 1939. Since opening, LGA has undergone several renovations, with the most recent being a whole airport renovation. This renovation included multiple commissioned art projects. One such art project is a multi-story tiled mural with cold-formed steel support. The mural spans are meant to highlight New York City from the second-floor level to above the fourth floor. The mural curved in various directions and had slip connections at various locations to permit a look of depth and movement.

Design Challenges and Solutions

Designing the cold-formed steel framing for this area presented many challenges. The wall was supported by slab levels that were often several feet from the outside of the wall. This required framing to be designed in a truss-like pattern. As noted, the locations of slip joints in the veneer often varied. ADTEK was required to design individual members at all locations.

This project also required multiple site visits to coordinate with field conditions. At times, the framing as detailed was not feasible due to interferences in MEP and/or slab edge conditions. In one area, the framing was meant to be hung away from the slab, but a connection to the slab edge was not feasible because the structural steel bent plate was not provided, and the vertical framing overhung the slab edge. ADTEK was able to provide a field fix quickly to ensure construction was not interrupted while still meeting design requirements.