Aircraft Hangar Construction in Wichita, KS | Wide-Span Hangar Door Engineering

Door Systems and the Wind Load They Create

A large hangar door is effectively a wall that disappears, which changes how wind loads move through the building when it's open. We engineer endwall bracing specifically around both the open and closed door states.

Mechanical uplift anchors at the post bases carry more of the load-path responsibility here than in almost any other building type we frame.

Snow Load and Foundation at Scale

The same 15 to 20 PSF ground snow load applies across a roof span that, on a hangar, is often wider than anything else we build, with truss depth engineered specifically for that span.

Thickened-edge slab detailing at 8 to 12 inches supports aircraft ground handling weight and equipment traffic.

Meeting Commercial and Institutional Code Requirements

A hangar's scale and occupancy classification put real weight on this commercial code vocabulary, more than most other building types on this list. Commercial, aviation, and assembly-occupancy buildings carry a different code burden than agricultural structures, and the engineering has to show it on paper.

• Stamped engineered drawings. Required for essentially all commercial post-frame work, referencing the applicable ASCE 7 Risk Category, often Category III or IV for buildings with higher occupancy or critical function.
• ADA-compliant entry thresholds. Required at commercial and assembly-occupancy entrances, planned into the slab and door jamb detailing from the start rather than retrofitted.
• Fire-rated wall assemblies. One-hour or two-hour drywall assemblies at demising walls where code requires separation between occupancies or tenant spaces.
• Interior liner panel packages. 29-gauge white metal liner panels are a common commercial interior finish, paired with continuous wall insulation for code compliance and cleanability.
• Thickened-edge slabs. Commercial slabs supporting forklift traffic typically need 8 to 12 inch thickened edge footings, well beyond a standard residential slab perimeter, especially at dock and entry points.
• MABCD plan review. Commercial occupancy in the Wichita metro core typically requires full plan review through the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department before a permit is issued.
• Continuous wall insulation. Required on most commercial occupancies under current energy code, typically achieved alongside the liner panel package rather than as a separate retrofit step.