PANAMA CANAL EXPANSION BUILDINGS

The construction of the Third Set of Post-Panamax Locks in Panama Canal, which is led by the consortium GUPC, is being carried out from July 2010. The project is divided into two great complexes in correspondence with the access from both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In general terms each complex incorporates three chambers, includes a group of water-saving basins and set lateral filling and emptying systems. Due to the high complexity and the high level of performance of the new Set of Locks, it is necessary to implement a group of buildings whose function is to host the facilities and services of the new complexes. The 46 buildings per complex include a set of large industrial-type buildings, which require the provision of cranes up to 80 t maximum load, and heavy load facilities groups. All the buildings have been resolved using steel and/or composite structural systems with up to 20 m span.

The building design has been carried out following the demanding requirements defined by the Panama Canal Authority, among which a high level of seismicity is determined by an elastic response spectrum whose acceleration for short periods is 1.59 g for the Pacific Complex. The AISC specification, demanded by the APC prescriptions, requires high levels of ductility for the above level of accelerations and the occupancy category of the buildings.

The choice of an appropriate structural type in each case has been determinant for the economic and constructive optimum. Furthermore, the design of these buildings has demanded a rigorous analysis using the criteria determined by the AISC specification and a detailed study of the connections between the structural elements.