To transform a WWII-era hangar into a high-tech modern facility for the U.S. Air Force, the team designed and constructed a building within a building. Balancing the need to preserve a historic exterior with current military security, sustainability and anti-terrorism requirements, the architect designed a structurally independent, steel-framed box inside the existing hangar.
The structure is surrounded on all four sides with an 8-in. fully grouted concrete masonry unit shear wall from the first-floor concrete slab to the third floor. The strategy created an unconditioned, ventilated envelope around the internal office floors, acting as both a security separator from the outside and protection against any potential blast fragments.