To improve and consolidate both line and base maintenance operations at one of their busiest hubs, American Airlines pursued the development of a highly efficient double wide-body maintenance hangar that could accommodate a variety of aircraft.
Our planning team developed a dual-entry, flexible hangar concept for the 194,000 SF facility, which maximizes the allowable aircraft parking positions while minimizing the total gross area of the building.
From an early planning phase, high environmental performance and sustainability strategies were established. Our design employs a number of sustainable features, including a high-performance building envelope, the use of daylighting, and high-efficiency mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
The dual-entry requirement presented an opportunity to create a unique profile to the building. During the day, two 600-foot “translucent light bars” that clad the structure offer a clarity of structural expression in contrast to the light metal clad 70-foot high doors and the darker clad diagonal ends. During the evening hours, the structure is exposed through the translucent panels, providing a dramatic beacon-like quality to the building.
