An aircraft maintenance hangar, designed by PPAE for the Romanian Air Force, within the Fetești-Borcea military airfield (Călărași County), as part of the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP). A specialised brief, with requirements an ordinary building does not have: a free, column-free space large enough to take aircraft for maintenance, plus the workshops and technical annexes needed for operation. PPAE was General Designer.

Challenges

Two challenges defined the project. The first, functional and structural: an aircraft hangar needs a very large span, completely free of columns, so that aircraft can be manoeuvred and maintained inside — a requirement that calls for a large-scale structure, sized for spans that ordinary buildings do not reach. The second, the ground: the site sits on difficult soil that changes its structure on contact with water, with a risk of settlement.

Solutions

The hangar's structure was designed for a large span, free of interior columns — wide-span steel trusses covering the maintenance space. Around the main hall, the maintenance and repair workshops and the technical annexes (transformer station, fire-water reserve, water well) were organised into a complete functional complex. For the difficult ground, the foundation was solved by improving the soil with compacted earth cushions, providing a stable base beneath the large structure.

Result

For the Romanian Air Force, a functional maintenance hangar, built under the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP), delivered to the specific requirements of a military aviation brief. For PPAE, a project with a double degree of difficulty — a large-span structure and difficult ground — in a niche field, that of buildings with a special function.

Are you preparing a large-span building, or one with a special function, perhaps on difficult ground? The PPAE team can support your project from concept to completion. Contact us