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MTE Consultants Acquires RIZZ Engineering, Strengthening Expertise in Structural Design and Precast Concrete

Ottawa International Airport (YOW) Porter Hanger
Transportation

Ottawa International Airport (YOW) Porter Hanger

Partners

Porter Aviation Holdings Inc

Key personnel

Boris Milman, M.Sc., P.Eng.

Project overview

Porter Aviation Holdings Inc. has constructed two large aircraft hangars at Ottawa International Airport. Spanning over 150,000 square feet and valued at $65 million, the project was designed by Scott Associates Architects. PCL managed the construction in collaboration with Span Construction & Engineering, while HH Angus provided mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as ICAT and security design services.

The hangars were built in two phases: the first phase was completed in late 2023, and the second phase in early 2024. This development is part of a broader effort to revitalize the Ottawa Airport, addressing the growing air travel demand in the National Capital Region. The hangars will serve as a major maintenance base, creating 200 local jobs, including 160 aircraft maintenance engineers, shop technicians, and administrative support staff.

The hangars, each measuring approximately 86 meters in length, are capable of housing up to eight aircraft and feature various repair and parts modification shops.

MTE's Involvement

MTE was proud to provide structural engineering services for the development of the YOW Porter Hangar.

MTE was retained by Scott Associates Architects Inc. to provide structural engineering services for a new aircraft hangar in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Our Structural team designed the foundation for the more than 150,000 ft² two-bay open-span hangar, and we designed three full structural steel office and maintenance buildings inside the hangar – one two-storey building and two one-storey buildings – with a combined square footage of more than 18,000 ft².

MTE also designed the slab on grade to support aircraft loads and to accommodate embedded heating cables. To supply the fire protection system with water, we designed two concrete underground water storage tanks, each with a usable capacity of more than 315,000 gallons.

A key design goal for the project was to surpass current energy efficiency standards, aligning with the airport’s goal of achieving net-zero operations by 2040 or sooner. The hangars incorporate several sustainable features, including:

    • A predominantly electric fleet for towing, servicing aircraft, and providing ground support.
    • Design criteria that exceed current energy efficiency standards.
    • Construction using about 35% recycled steel, which can be reused when the facility reaches the end of its life.
    • Materials selected to achieve 28% lower embodied carbon than traditional tilt-up assemblies.
    • An onsite underground water storage tank, capturing about 1.2 million liters of excess rainwater and stormwater, supplementing the city’s fire hydrant system to prevent overloading existing municipal water mains.