Roof and concrete ceiling renovation of the apron roofing

Construction work on the roof and concrete ceiling renovation of the apron roofing at Tempelhof Airport has been underway since the end of May 2024. This marks the start of the final phase of the complete renovation of the airport building's roof, which began in 2012. 

The roof of the airport building

The roof of the Tempelhof airport building is impressive in its dimensions:

• Total length: approx. 1.2 kilometers.
• Depth: around 57 meters.
• Height: average 19 meters.

It was built between 1935 and 1941. The construction work currently underway concerns the concourse roof of the covered apron, which covers an area of approximately 21,400 square meters.

The unique construction of the pier roof consists of a combination of a steel supporting structure with solid reinforced concrete ceiling areas and less solid steel-stone ceilings and hollow floorboards, as well as a lightweight metal structure. This holistic construction principle enables a cantilevered and column-free roof overhang of approximately 40 meters in the direction of the former airfield. The front roof area is made of a lightweight flanged sheet metal roof construction.

Tempelhof Airport: Construction work on the roof

As part of the ongoing construction work, both the upper and lower sides of the terminal roof are being renovated.

Renovation of the upper side

The upper side of the roof is being renovated with adjacent natural stone and metal construction work. The following measures are being carried out:

• Demolition of the existing roof structure down to the historic steps of the once planned visitor terrace.
• Removal of pollutants in the roof structure (the standard roof structure here consists of a vapor barrier at the bottom, an insulation layer, and a two-layer bitumen waterproofing).
• Refurbishment and replacement of window bands.
• Renovation of the glazed roof walkway between stair tower 6 and building section B (main hall).

Renovation of the underside of the concrete ceiling

The reinforced concrete ceiling will also be renovated on the underside. This will involve:

• Removing the concrete with a thickness of approx. 5 cm from the underside of the ceiling using high-pressure water jets.
• Reinforcing it with new stainless steel reinforcement,
• and then closing it again with sprayed concrete.
• Use of approx. 20-meter-high room scaffolding with transport elevator.

To carry out this concrete ceiling renovation on the underside, room scaffolding approximately 20 meters high with a transport elevator will be erected. In addition, the less solid steel stone ceilings and hollow floorboards will be replaced from above with solid concrete floorboards.