Bombardier Aircraft Hangar - UK

Completed in early 2022, this dual cantilever hangar at Biggin Hill Airport, UK was built in conjunction with the main contractor Civils Contracting Ltd (Civils).

It is the largest cantilever roofed hangar to be built in the UK for more than 50 years. The complex cantilever design allows the roofs to safely span the hangar without support from any internal columns, creating a vast floor space capable of housing up to 14 business jets at any one time.

This is one of our most technically challenging hangars yet. With a 165m long central core supporting two 45m cantilever roofs, it is the UK’s second largest after a 46.5m cantilever hangar built at RAF Brize Norton in 1967.”

As a modern hangar, the Bombardier building is designed to be incredibly

robust against unforeseen events and has been thoroughly checked

against our own full-scale testing.” Wind loads were checked with codes

of practise, against our own full-scale testing and computational fluid

dynamics to ensure that even with the doors fully open the hangar will

remain within tight deflection tolerances.

The roof features an underslung crane, requiring even tighter deflection tolerances than those needed for the 165m long rolling hangar doors each side.

We worked closely with Civils and the client to keep costs down and

shape the structure to be as efficient as possible for manufacturing and

design.

As well as a state-of-the-art hangar, the development also comprises

of a workshop, and office space and 650,000 sq. ft of apron area and

surrounds. It used 1600 tonnes of steel and 300,000 sq ft of cladding.

REIDsteel provided conceptual and detailed design, fabrication and

erection of both the steel frame and the full building envelope including

cladding, windows, doors, decking and vents.

In 2022 we entered the hangar in the Structural Steel Design Awards and

were delighted to win the top award in our section.

All at REIDsteel are absolutely thrilled to win this prestigious award.

The SSDAs are a hallmark of excellence as the foremast awards in our

industry and act as a real showcase for the exceptional capabilities of

British design, engineering, manufacturing and construction.

Our success is down to the whole team at REIDsteel and is a testament

to the talent and commitment of every single person in the business

without whom this award would not have been possible.

Our ‘one team’ ethos also extended to Civils Contracting, London Biggin

Hill Airport and Bombardier.

We are proud to have worked so closely together and to see this

landmark project win the recognition it so richly deserves.

Simon Boyd, Managing Director

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