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Aviation Hangar Whole Building Design Guide HOM E
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Aviation Hangar RELATED RESOURCE PA
by Don McLaughlin, PE Burns & McDonnell Last updated: 07-07-2011
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SPACE TYPES DESIGN DISCIPL INES PRODUCTS & SYSTEMS
Aircraft hangars are com monly referred to as "glorified garages " for airplanes. They can vary vary from from s impl e "shade" s truct tructures ures that protect all or parts of the aircraft from the elem ents to compli cated environmentally env ironmentally controlled maintenance facilities i n which robots apply radar absorbing coatings. However, since planes are designed to fly, it is es sential to mi nimize their maintenance time in the hangar and maximize their availability to fly.
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Building Buil ding A ttributes Emerging Issues Relevant Codes and Standards Major Resources
The Armed Armed Serv Services ices h av ave e developed definitive designs for hangar facilities to house and mai ntain their aircraft. aircraft. Many Many of these definitive designs are shown in UFC 4211-01: Aircraft Maintenance Maintenance Hangars: Tpe I and Tpe II . Much Much of the criteria for the design comes from AFH from AFH 32-1084 Facilit Requirements. Requirements . In the commercial ai rcraft sector the designer needs to rely on Facility Facility and Planning Criteria that are iss ued by the aircraft manufacturers manufacturers for their aircraft or a third party compilation of data. For example, example, the Boeing aircraft characteristics can be found on the company's web site. site. The designer must follow local building codes and integrate the characteristics of all poss ible aircraft that can can populate the hangar to develop the sp ace requirements for the intended use of the hangar.
F22 Fighter Fighter A ircraf t Robotic Coating Coating Facility, Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems CompanyMarietta, Georgia (Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell)
There are five five types types of spaces in hangar facilities: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Hang ar Area Shops Area Area Warehouse Area Area Office/Adm Office/A dm inis tration and Special ty Areas Building Utilities Area Area
Careful analysis analysis of the following following wil l allow des igner to determine the space needs for general spaces listed above common to aircraft hangars. Identification of the ty Identification type pe of aircraft that will populate the hangar. Identification Identificat ion of the aircraft mix that will populate the hangar. Identification Identificat ion of the aircraft maintenance functions that will be performed in the facility. facility. Estimation of the type and amount of shop area requ ired to perform the mai ntenance functions. Estimation of the type type and amount of warehouse s pace required to support the maintenance effort. Estimation of the floor space requi red for Office Office and Adminis tration Area. Area. Identification of special purpose areas such as locker rooms, toilets, personnel berthing area, dining areas and public lobbies to name a few. Estimation of the floor s pace required for the Building Utilities Area. BACK TO TOP
BUILDING ATTRIBUTES Determine Facilit Space Requirements Step 1: Determine Determine the tpes and numb er of aircraft which which populate the hangar. During this i nitial stage, input is needed from the hangar's future owner about his aircraft fleet. fleet.
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Aviation Hangar Whole Building Design Guide Information such as the following: Type of aircraft in the fleet Number of each type of aircraft in the fleet Mix of aircraft that will populate the hangar Allowance for future aircraft that may populate the hangar Step 2: Determin e the Maintenance Function of the Hangar Facilit. 160 Meter clear s pan Aircr aft Maintenance Facility f or
Input is needed from the owner with regards Evergreen A irw ays in Taiw an, Republic of China to the maintenance that will be performed on (Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell) the aircraft in the hangar. This can vary from no mai ntenance at all to complete overhaul of the aircraft. Different levels of m aintenance are requi red by the Federal Aviation Adminis tration for certain aircraft currently in operation.. Step 3: Compi le the Aircraft Characteristics Some references to obtain physical characteristics and maintenance requirements of aircraft are as follows: Jane's All the World's Aircraft U.S. Navy Aircraft Characteristics Burns & McDonnell Aircraft characteristics Airbus Boeing Cessna Gulfstream Piper Raytheon Aircraft Company Step 4: Determine Han gar Space Requirements
Coating/Composite Restoration Facility for Fighter Aircraft at Langley AFB - View enlarged plan (Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell)
To determine the most efficient use of hangar space use templ ates representing the aircraft and floor plans drawn at the same s cale. Arrange the templates in various combinations to the make the most efficient use of space and permits maintenance operations. Minimum separation distances between aircraft and minimum distances between the aircraft and other obstructions are defined in some building codes and in AFH 32-1084 Facilit Requirements . Another factor to conside r in s izing the hangar space i s the fire protection requirem ents. The National Fire Protection Ass ociation standard, NFPA 409 - Standard for Aircraft Hangars establis hes four different groups of hangars based on their size and construction type. In general, the sm aller the hangar s pace the less expensive the fire protection and utility requirements. When sizing the hangar space, do not overlook tail heights, the height and w idth of the hangar door openings, the structural depth of columns and trusses and the turning radius of tow vehicles connected to aircraft. Also i n larger hangars , distance to means of egress become a concern and should be laid out to meet local codes and NFPA 101 Life Safet Code. Step 5: Determine space needs for the Maintenance Shops and Warehouse The maintenance shops and warehouse provide s pace and storage for required m aintenance activities s uch as fabrication shops, airframe repair, engine repair, aerospace s ystems repair, battery servicing area, cryogenics m aintenance, interior finish es repair and nondestructive testing laboratory. For Air Force Facilities, AFH 32-1084 Facilit Requirements lists m aintenance shop space requirements for different squadrons of aircraft. Simila r rational should be used in the commercial arena with input from aircraft manufacturers.
Lockheed Martin Corporate Hangar Facility Baltimore, Maryland - View enlarged plan (Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell)
The Federal Aviation Adminis tration mandates procedures to be followed by operators when es tablishing aircraft inspection intervals and overhaul times. Step 6: Determine space needs for the Office/Administration Area The space needs in the Office/Administration area are sim ilar to those required in any office building . The general rule of thumb according to Office Finder is 175 to 250 s quare feet of useable space per person.
Mechanical Sstem Requirements www.wbdg.org/design/aviation_hangar.php
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Aviation Hangar Whole Building Design Guide Determining the s pace need for the utility systems is highly dependent on the hangar m aintenance function and the available utilities . In some corrosion control hangars the HVAC requirements are so stringent that the mechanical rooms can be as large as the hangar space itself. Also in corrosion control hangar spaces the mechanical rooms should be located adjacent to the hangar space and w ith an exterior wall for outside air requireme nts. The HVAC in the hangar s pace mus t be integrated with the fire detection system to s hut down in case of a fire.
Lockheed Martin Corporate Hangar Facility
In general, the hangar space us ually requires fire Baltimore, Maryland (Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell) protection us ing water mixed with an Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF). This can be appli ed by an overhead system or w ater cannons m ounted near the floor. If the existing fire water press ure is n't adequate, the fire protection system m ay require a reservoir and booster pum ps to s atisfy the deman d of the hangar space. The National Fire Protection Association standard, NFPA 409 - Sandad fo Aicaf Hanga establishes fire protection criteria for hangars based on their s ize and cons truction type. Another resource is the owner's ins urance carrier who should have input into the fire protection and detection s ystems .
Electrical Sstem Requirements The electrical requirements of the hangar facility should meet the requirem ents of NFPA 70 Naional Elecic Code. The hangar space should be clas sified as hazardous or nonhazardous according to NFPA 70 and the el ectrical installations designed accordingly. Electrical equipm ent in the hangar space s hould be waterproof, NEMA Type 4 (mi nimum rating) when deluge s prinkler protection is provided. Various power s upply voltages and frequencies are requi red in the facility because Aircraft and Ground Support Equipmen t operate on di fferent voltages and frequencies than normall y provided by the public utilities.
Hangar Doors One of the largest single design elements to be selected is the type of hangar door to be utilized. There are s everal di fferent types (sliding , vertical li ft, bifolding, fabric, etc) and each type has advantages and des ign im plications for the overall structure. BACK TO TOP
EMERGING ISSUES Sustainable Design Sustainable design should be incorporated into every building design so the building can perform efficiently without wasting energy during its lifetime. The hangar area is particularly susceptible to heat loss a s the hangar doors a re opened for aircraft movement.
Aircraft Metrics The next generation of ai rcraft is larger and heavier than current aircraft that will m ake man y existing hangar facilities obsolete. For a primer see Burns & McDonnell's Special Report to the Airline Indus try, "How Will New Large Aircraft Affect Your Airport Facilities".
412 Foot Clear Span Maintenance Hangar for US Airw ays in Indianapolis, Indiana (Courtesy of Burns & McDonnell)
New Te chnologies As Aircraft manufacturers move towards com posite m aterials and avionics become m ore sophis ticated, the hangar mai ntenance facility will need to respond to the new requirem ents. The aircraft maintenance facility will res emble an indus trial facility which will requi re remediation of toxic effluents, air pollution permits , safety standards for working in hazardous areas and a high tech facility with laboratories and clean room s.
Phsical Securit The aviation indus try is a high profile i ndustry and is a target for terrorist attacks. Future building designs will incorporate higher levels of security and force protection/anti-terrorism standards. BACK TO TOP
RELEVANT CODES AND STANDARDS www.wbdg.org/design/aviation_hangar.php
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Aviation Hangar Whole Building Design Guide International Building Code (IBC) or other state mandated building code Local Building and Zoning Codes Air Force AFH 32-1084 Facilit Requirements Department of Defense UFC 3-600-01 Fire Protection Engineering for Facilities UFC 4-211-01 Aircraft Maintenance Hangars: Tpe I and Tpe II National Fire Protection Association NFPA 70 - National Electric Code NFPA 101 - Life Safet Code NFPA 409 - Standard for Aircraft Hangars BACK TO TOP
MAJOR RESOURCES WBDG Building Tpes Office Buil ding, Warehouse Design Objectives Cost-Effective, Functional / Operational, Productive, Secure / Safe, Sustainable
Organiations Federal Aviation Admini stration Professional Aviation Maintenance Association BACK TO TOP
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