As part of an On-Call contract with the US Air National Guard, DTC and Ames & Whitaker performed several necessary updates to the Bradley Airport Hanger, located immediately next to Bradley International Airport.
Updates included:
- Installing roof drains
- Adding overflow drainage with overflow alarms
- Lifting, reinstalling and recertifying existing lightning protection system
- A new roof, including repairs to penetrations in order to prevent leaks
- Eliminating and filling in skylights from the roof of the structure
- New siding for exterior of building
Prior to installing the new roof and siding, DTC’s structural engineers performed a structural analysis and design to ensure the existing structure could support the weight of the new roof, as well as the composite siding panels.
In preparation for the new roof system, DTC’s structural engineers modeled and analyzed the existing 239 foot clear span roof truss system for the design loads associated with the new roof system. Additionally, DTC’s structural engineers analyzed the existing end bay structure and prepared framing drawings to support of the new composite panel siding and to resist the required design wind loads. The end bays accommodate 160 feet wide by 30 feet high wing openings as well as tail openings that are 33 feet wide with 10 feet of additional height. Stacking doors retract into pockets each side of the openings. The challenge was to provide a planar surface for the new panelized siding over a structure that was found to be neither “true” nor “plumb.”
