An award winning museum to conserve
and house historic aircraft together with a
visitor attraction with themed exhibitions.
The brief for this project required the protection of as many aircraft as possible in a building of
architectural merit. A number of constructional forms and materials were examined to determine the most efficient and economic structure. Early studies included looking at cable and truss supported fabrics and inflated foils. The adopted solution responds, among other things, to the site, long spans and the desire to maximise the number of aircraft that are accommodated.
The building is split along its spine by a dramatic wall, a device that addresses the change in level across the site and acts as a symbolic reference to the Cold War which is the principal theme for the museum. The wall is structured by a series of steel frames at regular centres and supports steel trusses that form the structure to the roof. The rafters which are at 9m centres span from the ground floor to the spine wall. Each truss is set at a different angle to produce the doubly curved roof planes. Hangar doors are structured as demountable lightweight and translucent fabric structures.
The approximate display areas cover 6320m² with a further 763m² for ancillary use.
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