Middle East Airlines (MEA) Training and Conferences Center
Beirut
Award of Merit
Owner Middle East Airlines
Lead Design Firm Khatib & Alami
General Contractor ABNIAH
Aviation Technology CAE Inc. and TFC
The project team built Lebanon’s first flight simulator training center, part of the Middle East Aviation Academy, near Beirut’s International Airport. The $50-million facility features training divisions for pilots, cadets, and cabin, ground and administrative crews. There is also a library and administrative offices. A 62-ft-tall domed conference center with a 300-person auditorium, cafeteria, kitchen and reception hall rounds out the project. The contractor convinced the client to change the dome design from a sandwich panel system to reinforced concrete, clad with triangular stainless-steel panels and LED light joints between panels. With more than 600 workers on site during peak times, an extensive safety plan, including first aid and other on-the-job training, was implemented to ensure the health of the construction team.
