HAECO Americas
Greensboro, North Carolina

To expand MRO capabilities at its home base of Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA), in Greensboro, North Carolina, HAECO Americas enlisted BRPH to deliver a new, state-of-the-art hangar.

More than just a metal building for airplane repair, this new, 250,000-square-foot facility is an iconic symbol of HAECO’s headquarters and brand. Their fifth hangar at PTIA, this building is the largest, nearly double the size of the other four. The 176,000 square feet of hangar space has capacity to simultaneously hold eight narrow-body aircraft or two wide-body and two narrow-body aircraft. The remaining 74,000 square feet serve operations, parts fabrication and storage, client communication and observation onsite office suites.

The design incorporates natural light at every opportunity. Translucent panels wrap the main hangar space on three sides and are featured prominently in the hangar doors, allowing light to flood the main space whether doors are open or closed.

The site design presented a unique set of challenges to the design team, as existing conditions included a stream running through the middle of the site as the main outfall for the airport. Erosion control in this area was a critical concern, and BRPH’s civil team coordinated closely with North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to obtain permits, which required four levels of review, all while keeping the contractor moving on construction. An additional challenge was using the FAA’s pavement calculator, Faarfield. Though new to our design process, its use required less pavement than originally expected, saving costs.