Case Study: American Airlines achieves a five-gate O'Hare hub with Thornton Tomasetti's integrated structural and construction engineering

American Airlines cuts O'Hare L Concourse construction by 5 months with Thornton Tomasetti

The customer, American Airlines, faced the challenge of constructing a new five-gate regional jet hub, the L Concourse Stinger, at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport without impeding the surrounding active taxiways, utilities, and facilities. Thornton Tomasetti provided integrated structural and construction engineering services to navigate this complex site.

Thornton Tomasetti's solution utilized long-span trusses to suspend a major portion of the building and a modular, off-site construction approach for a 600-foot access bridge, minimizing foundation penetructions and on-site activity. Their Advanced Project Delivery service included a detailed cloud-hosted TEKLA model that streamlined fabrication and erection. This approach reduced the overall construction schedule by five months, nearly eliminated structural steel RFIs, and successfully delivered the project.

American Airlines