As Designer-of-Record, Kleinfelder provided sustainable design, structural engineering, and construction administration services for this hangar renovation, to allow storage and maintenance of the C-17 Globemaster transport plane.

Challenge: The C-17 required an additional nine plus feet of clearance above the wings and other structures to allow safe maintenance operations around the aircraft. Options included building a new, larger hangar; constructing a new higher door on the existing hangar; or raising the existing hangar to provide the additional necessary clearance. An alternatives analysis was required to identify the best option to meet the Air Force’s mission requirements.

Solution: Kleinfelder worked with the prime contractor to develop an alternatives analysis of the options, comparing sustainability, cost, and risk. It was determined the most cost-effective alternative was to modify the 31,000-square-foot hangar instead of demolition and construction of a new one. Raising the existing structure more than nine feet allowed the C-17 fuselage and wings to be fully enclosed by the raised hangar. Kleinfelder’s design also included modifying the entrance and using higher, energy-efficient hangar doors.

Project Results: Kleinfelder’s sustainable design for this hangar renovation saved the U.S. Air Force $19 million in construction costs and expedited the schedule by 12 months. As demonstrated by only three comments on 52 drawings on the final revision for this project, Kleinfelder provided a sustainable, cost-effective design that successfully addressed client mission, lifecycle design, construction, and operations parameters.