KELOWNA, BC – The first solid wood aircraft hangar has been announced for Kelowna International Airport.
Federal officials announced they would lend KF Aerospace $ 800,000 to build a multi-purpose airport hangar.
The two-story building will be the first of its kind in Canada to use state-of-the-art wood-based floor and high wall systems to compensate for the large spacing between the pillars – a typical design element for a hangar, but not yet finished using solid wood construction systems.
When completed, the hangar will house an aviation museum and conference center. The overall carbon benefit achieved by using solid wood for this construction is an estimated 1,753 tons of carbon dioxide.
The project is funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Green Construction through Wood program, which aims to expand the use of wood in non-traditional construction projects such as low non-residential buildings, tall wooden buildings and bridges. The program positions Canada as a world leader in innovative wood construction technologies and a low carbon economy.
“Wood is being used increasingly in the construction of taller and taller buildings, and we are world leaders,” said Seamus O’Regan Jr., federal minister for natural resources, in a statement. “Creating new markets for Canadian timber supports our forest workers, creates jobs and brings us to zero.”
