Completed in just 13 months, this 94,000-sq-ft structural-steel high-bay hangar facility was built on a 232-acre site at the Brookley Aeroplex in Mobile, Ala., to enable aircraft manufacturer Airbus to better serve its U.S. airline clients. This $34.5-million fast-tracked design-build project consisted of construction of two hangar bays with one hydraulic service system, four aircraft service utility pits, a fire foam system—including an underground containment tank—all associated site utilities, aprons, taxiways and a two-story administrative annex.

Photo courtesy Brasfield & Gorrie

Since construction started in February 2020—just as the COVID-19 pandemic began—the team had to overcome the schedule challenges of managing virtual meetings with multiple parties, permitting challenges due to city officials having restricted hours and working from home, and the absence of regular in-person contact with the German project owner due to international travel restrictions. Notably, Brasfield & Gorrie reported that the project did not experience any safety incidents during the course of approximately 107,000 worker hours.