Farnborough airport has appointed contractors McLaughlin & Harvey and Gebler Tooth for the design and construction of its new $67.5m 175,000 sq ft sustainably designed hangar development, Domus III.

The airport has been working closely with both companies to create a plan that will increase hangar space by over 70 per cent, while complementing its existing award-winning facilities. The large project was conceived in response to the growing demand for premium hangar space with a design that accommodates the growing presence of the next generation of business jets.

The new hangar will be rated by BREEAM, a sustainability assessment method for infrastructure and buildings, and is set to achieve some of the highest environmental standards. One of the iconic features will be translucent automated doors that will stretch the entire length of the building, optimising natural light inside the hangar and reducing lighting usage. The large unhindered access provided by the door design will improve aircraft manoeuvrability and help mitigate unnecessary emissions from aircraft handling activities. The plan for the construction will also ensure that building doesn't impact the day-to-day activities at the airport.

CEO Simon Geere says: “We want to be known as a global showcase for airport sustainability and the new hangar has been meticulously designed with this in mind. The investment will also provide a substantial boost for employment and economic growth in the region, while continuing our journey in providing the very best-in-class facilities to our customers at Europe's number one business aviation airport.”

Gebler Tooth founding director David Tooth adds: “Our team has worked closely with the airport and contractor teams to date to reach this stage and are excited to see the project through to completion."

The new hangar is part of a wider plan to continuously improve the customer experience at Farnborough airport at the same time as setting the standard for sustainability in the sector. In June, it committed to some of the most ambitious environmental targets within the sector with the launch of its Net Zero roadmap, setting a pathway to Net Zero across its controllable emissions by 2030 or sooner. In 2018, it became the first business airport to be awarded carbon neutral status. Last year it made SAF available to customers, and earlier this month ran a successful promotion in offering SAF at the same price as Jet A1 fuel.

Construction of Domus III will commence in August 2022 with completion scheduled for early in 2024.