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Willow Run Airport, New Maintenance Storage Facility, Ypsilanti, Michigan

The purpose of this design build project was to engineer and construct two new buildings to provide secure storage of airport maintenance equipment and a separate new building for the storage of rock salt and sand. All of the buildings were located within the boundaries of Willow Run Airport’s maintenance yard in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

The new 2,500 SF salt and storage building was designed to store a minimum of 500 CY of salt and 500 CY of sand; both separated within the structure by an eight foot high reinforced concrete separation wall capable of withstanding the lateral forces derived from loading and unloading the sand and salt.

The 11,500 SF vehicle maintenance equipment storage building and the maintenance equipment and supplies storage buildings were identical in size and measured 100 feet by 115 feet. The vehicle maintenance building houses equipment required to perform vehicle maintenance. The maintenance equipment facility houses vehicles and equipment required to support airfield and road maintenance activities. Both buildings were designed with a clear span of one hundred feet. The structural steel frames and secondary framing included purlins and girts that were utilized on both of the buildings. Both buildings feature removable siding at a designated gable end for future expansion.

Challanges/Solutions:
Internal separation walls were constructed with a minimum of eight foot high reinforced concrete capable of withstanding lateral forces derived from loading and unloading salt. Building concrete slabs were 9 inches thick reinforced interior concrete slab over aggregate base capable of supporting all equipment used for maintenance.