Colony Construction delivers aviation hangar construction services across Canada, fabricating and erecting the wide clear-span structures, integrated hangar doors, and fire-protected envelopes that commercial, general aviation, and government aviation clients require. From the Conair hangar in Abbotsford BC to maintenance hangars and FBO facilities, our steel is engineered to Transport Canada CAR and NFPA-informed standards.
Aviation Construction Expertise
Colony Construction has completed more than 700 projects since 1985, and aviation hangars have been a signature part of our portfolio. Our work includes the Conair hangar at Abbotsford International Airport in British Columbia – a facility serving one of Canada’s most recognized aerial firefighting fleets – as well as other maintenance hangars, FBO facilities, and aviation-support buildings across Western Canada.
Aviation hangars are demanding buildings. They must span the width of the largest aircraft they will ever shelter, they must integrate bifold or vertical-lift doors whose deflections interact directly with the primary frame, they must satisfy NFPA 409-informed fire suppression schemes, and they must meet Transport Canada Canadian Aviation Regulations (CAR) where applicable. Our in-house engineering and detailing team has delivered all of this, repeatedly.
Colony fabricates to CSA S16 and CSA W59, and our aviation work is frequently coordinated with aviation-specialist door manufacturers, fire protection engineers, and airport authorities to meet the full regulatory and operational requirement set. Our engineering and detailing team understands how the door manufacturer’s reactions drive the primary frame, how the fire protection engineer’s suppression design drives the framing for piping and nozzle clearances, and how the airport authority’s obstruction limitation surface drives the allowable ridge height – and we start the design coordinating all three.
Our hangar portfolio spans single-bay maintenance facilities for general aviation and aerial firefighting operators through to larger MRO and heavy-check facilities for commercial fleets. We have also delivered aviation support structures including crew quarters, parts storage, ground support equipment buildings, and FBO terminals integrated with hangar bays. Every one of these projects starts with the same discipline: detail the door early, detail the frame to match, and detail the envelope to survive the local climate.
Our Services for Aviation
- Conventional Steel Construction – Heavy structural steel for wide-span hangar primary frames, door headers, and integrated crane systems.
- Doors, Glazing, and Hangar Doors – Bifold, vertical-lift, and sliding hangar doors supplied and integrated with the primary structure, plus personnel doors and storefront glazing.
- Engineering and Detailing – In-house structural engineering and 3D detailing for hangar primary frames, door interaction, and fire-protection framing.
- Design-Build – Single-source delivery for hangar projects where owners want coordinated responsibility for structure, door system, envelope, and fire protection.
Challenges We Solve for Aviation Clients
Wide Clear-Span Requirements
Aviation hangars routinely demand clear spans of 150 to 300 feet or more to accommodate wing spans without mid-span columns. Our engineering and detailing team delivers these spans with trussed or plate-girder primary frames, optimized for deflection control at the door opening.
Hangar Door Integration
Bifold and vertical-lift hangar doors impose significant localized loads on the primary frame and demand tight deflection limits so the door can cycle smoothly. Our detailing coordinates directly with the door supplier’s reactions, header geometry, and deflection criteria from day one.
Fire Suppression
Aviation hangars typically require foam-water or high-expansion foam fire suppression per NFPA 409-informed design. Our primary framing integrates suppression piping supports, discharge-nozzle clearances, and fire-rated separations between hangar and adjacent maintenance or office areas.
Aviation Compliance (TC CAR)
Facilities at certified airports or supporting certified operations interact with Transport Canada Canadian Aviation Regulations, including fire hall location, obstruction limitation surfaces, and occupancy separations. We coordinate design with airport authorities and the client’s CAR compliance team.
Aviation Projects
Conair Hangar
At Abbotsford International Airport, Colony fabricated and erected the steel for the Conair hangar – a maintenance facility supporting one of Canada’s largest aerial firefighting fleets. The project integrated wide-span primary framing, a bifold hangar door, and NFPA-informed fire suppression.
Maintenance and MRO Hangars
Colony has delivered maintenance and MRO hangar projects across Western Canada, with clear spans sized to the aircraft the operator services today and the larger types they anticipate tomorrow.
FBO and General Aviation Facilities
Our FBO and general aviation work includes combined hangar-and-terminal buildings, integrating wide-span steel, bifold doors, and architectural storefront glazing into facilities that serve both based aircraft and transient operators.
Where We Build for Aviation
Colony has delivered aviation projects across British Columbia – including at Abbotsford – and is positioned to support hangar work in Alberta and Ontario as well.
Frequently Asked Questions – Aviation Hangar Construction
What kinds of aviation facilities does Colony build?
Colony fabricates and erects maintenance hangars, MRO facilities, FBO hangars and terminals, aerial firefighting bases, and government aviation facilities. Our work covers the primary structure, integrated hangar doors, and envelope systems.
How wide a clear span can Colony deliver for a hangar?
Our engineering and detailing team has delivered hangar clear spans of 150 feet, 200 feet, and beyond using trussed or plate-girder primary frames optimized for door-opening deflection control. Larger spans are project-specific.
Does Colony supply the hangar door itself?
Yes. Our doors service supplies bifold, vertical-lift, and sliding hangar doors through qualified specialist suppliers, coordinated with our primary structure from the first line on the model.
Can Colony design to NFPA 409 fire suppression framing needs?
Yes. Our primary framing integrates piping supports, discharge-nozzle clearances, and fire-rated separations per the project’s fire protection engineer’s design, which is typically informed by NFPA 409.
Does Colony work at certified airports under TC CAR?
Yes. Our team has delivered projects at Canadian certified airports, coordinating with airport authorities on obstruction limitation surfaces, fire hall coordination, and the other CAR-adjacent considerations that apply to aerodrome structures.
Can Colony deliver a hangar on a design-build basis?
Yes. Design-build delivery is common on hangar projects, giving the owner single-point responsibility for the primary structure, door integration, envelope, and coordination with the fire protection engineer.
Does Colony build combined hangar-and-office or FBO facilities?
Yes. Our work regularly combines hangar bays with attached offices, crew quarters, FBO terminals, and ground-support-equipment storage. We detail the fire separations, acoustic isolation, and structural interfaces between the hangar and the occupied areas to meet both building and aviation code requirements.
Start Your Aviation Hangar Construction Project
Send us your scope, schedule, and site details. A Colony estimator will review your project and reply within one business day.