Quonset State Airport Hangars

At first glance, this project appears to be a collection of simple metal buildings. But building adjacent to Runway 23’s taxiway at Quonset State Airport, within the operational constraints of an Air National Guard airport and the restrictions of a floodplain and undersized parcel, quickly made the project anything but simple.

The opportunity came with a long-term tenant whose operations introduced an additional layer of fire, OSHA, and aviation safety requirements. What emerged was less about creating a singular architectural statement and more about solving a complex network of interconnected challenges—understanding how the buildings would be constructed, how they would be used, where the risks existed, and how to translate those requirements into a cohesive, buildable solution.

The result is a campus of five individual aircraft hangars designed and constructed within the floodplain while meeting current energy and fire codes without requiring fire suppression. Two of the hangars became home to Heliservice USA, whose helicopter repair and maintenance operations introduced specialized requirements for blast protection, fire curtain operation, and the safe movement and servicing of aircraft within tightly constrained spaces.

Sometimes the most rewarding architectural projects aren’t the ones that begin with a pretty picture. They are the ones where complexity becomes the design challenge—where code, construction, safety, operations, and site constraints must work together to make something possible.