Press Release

Issued by Schaetz Design & Construction GmbH.

November 7, 2012

Florian Schätz, Director of Schaetz Design & Construction GmbH (Germany) and Assistant Professor for Architecture and Construction at the National University of Singapore, along with his team, has created the first multi-storey aircraft parking system at the General Aviation Centre at Seletar Airport, Singapore.

Winner of the 2012 Singapore Concrete Institute Excellence Award in the category Innovator, the newly patented design solution is the world first vertical aircraft parking system. Since February 2012, the system has been in operation at MAJ Aviation's General Aviation Center at Seletar Airport in Singapore.

"How can we maximize the aircraft parking facilities at the Seletar Airport with a limited plot of land and reduce costs in the daily operation?" This question led to a very innovative and functional solution to increase parking capacity through vertically stacking the aircraft. The system is designed to double parking capacity while occupying the same land area. This innovation, using a compact and lightweight filigree structure, provides significant savings in cost, labor and energy. This pioneering design not only helps increase the storage space for these aircraft by 300%, it decreases the time spent in plane parking and retrieval by 95%, and is five times faster in accelerating the removal of an aircraft from its parking space.

The land occupied by the hangar is reduced from 1200m2 to 450m2 (267% savings) as compared to conventional linear hangar parking systems. Measuring only 22m in diameter, the carousel's footprint covers an area of only 400m2 and parks up to fourteen aircraft on two decks. This system works like a large "Lazy Susan" , allowing any aircraft to be extricated from the turntable when requested within only 1minute and 26 seconds, while conventional parking systems require up to 5 hours of manpower. By parking the aircraft on two stories of rotating discs, we reduced the space needed to park from 100m2 per aircraft in to 35m2 per aircraft.

By using an automated mechanical parking and lifting system, general aviation aircraft, helicopters and small business jets up to 14.50m wingspan and 3.5 tons of takeoff weight, are easily parked, relocated and handled safely on two levels. A hydraulic lift moves the aircraft 7m vertically back and forth between the mezzanine and the ground level. The carousel is easily operated by only one operator

from a video controlled switchboard, which allows the operator to move the carousel precisely to the center of the hangar opening. After a quick installation process with prefabricated steel parts, the machine was installed and ready to operate within 12 days. With its compact volumetric footprint, it effectively reduces energy costs in any hangar.

"Through optimum means, we minimize material and maximize functionality. We were interested in simplifying and improving the construction, while expressing the aesthetics of a filigreed, heavy-duty machine, ultimately striving for a marriage of function, construction and engineering" says Schätz.

"The metal mesh surface on both levels enables a high level of transparency, affording lightness to what could otherwise be a bulky design. The pre-stressed concrete ring beams keep the rotating carousel in place and engage two-sided portal frames, using the appearance of filigree for elegance and strength take the vertical rotating forces of the disc on 18 roller bearings. "The goal of our filigree structure is to support our idea of maximizing land use by minimizing the amount of used material, whether it is steel or concrete. The system also permits safe handling of the aircraft and, therefore, lowers insurance and accident rates"

"The system is very straightforward and easy to maintain. Our design and construction success is attributable to the reduction in the cost of material, land, operations and maintenance while maximizing the use of the material to full functional capacity"

Currently, Florian Schätz is developing with his team on a multi level storage facilities for business jets. The design will enable parking for 15 business jets with up to a 35m wingspan on only 3000m2 of land, allowing airports in extreme climates to make land available and become more efficient and flexible. Vertical parking is the optimal solution for aircraft parking in areas prone to flooding. In Singapore, the team is looking into parking 95 business jets using this compact design.