Overview
Hangar 4 is a 15,000m² aircraft maintenance facility located at Air New Zealand’s Auckland base. Designed by Studio Pacific Architecture, it includes a 10,000m² hangar capable of housing one widebody and two narrowbody aircraft, alongside 5,000m² of workshops and engineering spaces.
The building features a 98-metre clear span timber structure, making it the largest single-span timber aircraft hangar in the Southern Hemisphere. Prefabricated timber trusses, each weighing 38 tonnes, were installed using New Zealand’s largest crawler crane. Timber was selected for its seismic resilience, corrosion resistance, and reduced embodied carbon.
The hangar integrates with existing apron areas and live airside operations, requiring careful sequencing during construction.
Sustainability Features
- Mass Timber Structure – Reduces embodied carbon and acts as a carbon sink
- Green Star 6 Certification – NZGBC-recognised for world-leading sustainability
- ETFE Roof System – Provides daylighting, glare control, and thermal performance
- Environmental Resilience – Materials selected for seismic and coastal conditions
- Workplace Wellbeing – Natural light and efficient air handling systems
Specification Tools Used
Studio Pacific Architecture used Masterspec Standard and MasterKey to manage a wide range of specification sections. The team leveraged verified work sections to address complex requirements, including environmental performance and specialised building systems.
MasterKey was trialed for linking specifications to Archicad, providing insights for potential wider adoption across the studio.