When Porter Airlines set out to build two new airport hangars at Ottawa International Airport, their goal extended far beyond simply increasing capacity to accommodate additional aircraft. They wanted to revitalize the airport altogether, helping to both fuel and cater to an increase in demand for travel and deliveries to Canada’s capital city.
Designed by Scott Associates Architects, the aircraft hangars are no small feat. They’re set to cover over 150,000 square feet—enough space to fit eight new aircraft, a repair and modification shop, storage for metal aircraft parts, and wheel and battery shops. The project will cost an estimated $65 million and will be completed in two phases, the last of which is set to finish in 2024.
Porter Airlines has partnered with Span Construction & Engineering, a customer of TrueLook since 2018, to build the hangar. Since its founding in 1980, SPAN has prided itself on its service-oriented and team-driven approach to building. They have a reputation for building quality projects that save their clients time and money. The Porter Airlines Hangar project is no exception as phase one of the project finished on time in 2023, and phase two is scheduled to finish on time in 2024 as well.
When finished, the building will exceed the current energy efficiency standards for heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, lighting, and electrical power systems. The hangar has also been constructed using materials with low carbon footprints, including 35% recycled steel which is eligible to be recycled at the end of its lifespan. These sustainability factors are helping to support the airport’s climate goals of achieving net-zero operation emissions by 2040 or before.
The building has also been constructed to accommodate the unique needs of the environment in which it’s built. To protect the hangar from fires, they are building a dual system that includes both a traditional sprinkler system as well as a foam deluge system in the maintenance and parking areas. The hangar will also include a stormwater management system that doesn’t rely on (and runs the risk of overwhelming) the city mains. There will be two 173,000-liter tanks built underground to manage excess runoff from storms.
To help manage the construction site and monitor for environmental risks that are common to the region such as fires and storms, Span Construction turned to TrueLook. TrueLook Cameras have played an important role in managing risk and monitoring progress and productivity daily.
The new hangars are an exciting development for Span Construction and Ottawa International Airport.
