Port-Harcourt International Airport Terminal Building Assessment of Structural Safety and Serviceability

To accomplish the renovation and upgrade of the Port Harcourt International Airport Terminal Building, one aspect of the work required that the VIP Lounge at the First floor, be relocated to 20m offset from its original location. To relocate the VIP lounge, its reinforced concrete structure at its original location, had to be demolished and reconstructed at the new location. This structural assessment was initiated because of the change in resistance to the structure resulting from this partial demolition, and reconstruction. Model based Safety and Serviceability assessment methodologies comprising; Acquisition of data of loading and resistance, Calculation of load effects on structural models, and Safety and Serviceability verification, was utilized in the assessment of the existing structure of the Port Harcourt International Airport Terminal building. A summary of the Safety and Serviceability verification show that, for the structure at both the original location and the new location of the VIP lounge, the allowable Columns loads and maximum bending moments exceeded the actual column loads and maximum bending moments; and the allowable bending moments of Beams exceeded the actual maximum bending moments in the Beams. This indicates that the structure, at neither location, is overloaded. In addition there were no visible cracks or ruptures, the telltale signs of damage to the structure, on any of the elements of the structure