{"id":30425,"date":"2025-11-24T12:16:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T02:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=30425"},"modified":"2025-11-26T10:07:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T00:07:37","slug":"air-nzs-quake-proof-hangar-uses-7000-timber-parts-and-250000-screws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/air-nzs-quake-proof-hangar-uses-7000-timber-parts-and-250000-screws\/","title":{"rendered":"Air NZ\u2019s Quake-Proof Hangar Uses 7,000 Timber Parts and 250,000 Screws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>New Zealand&#8217;s timber hangar, the world&#8217;s first aircraft maintenance facility built from engineered wood, is making waves around the globe. <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/nz-pm-cuts-ribbon-on-air-nzs-98m-record-breaking-timber-hangar\/\">Opened in September by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon<\/a>\u2014who first commissioned the project five years ago while serving as the airline&#8217;s CEO\u2014Hangar 4 is the Southern Hemisphere&#8217;s largest free\u2011spanning timber arch and has been designed to last in one of the most demanding seismic regions on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using cross\u2011laminated timber and laminated veneer lumber sourced locally by XLAM and Nelson Pine, the massive arches\u2014each with up to 12,500 screws in individual trusses\u2014were prefabricated into 25\u2011metre sections at a local plant. \u201cThey were assembled on site and lifted into place using New Zealand\u2019s largest crawler crane,\u201d the airline said. \u201cEach 38\u2011tonne truss was hoisted upright at an 85\u2011degree angle, then locked with hundreds of 250\u2011millimetre screws.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"8JEJtyk8Guo\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Auckland Airport braces for busiest day of the year, Air New Zealand announces opening of new hangar\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8JEJtyk8Guo?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>In September, NZ Prime Minister Chris Luxon announced the opening of Air New Zealand&#8217;s Hangar 4 &#8211; the world&#8217;s first to be built using mass timber. Footage courtesy of @nzheraldtv.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Spanning nearly 100 metres, rising 35 metres high and covering 10,000 square metres, the Auckland hangar can accommodate a Boeing 787\u20119 Dreamliner alongside two Airbus A320 or A321 jets. Above the timber arches, an ETFE roof serves as a canopy, flooding the interior with natural light and retaining heat, eliminating the need for a conventional heating system. Secured with 250,000 screws across 20 trusses, the seismic\u2011resilient arch can flex up to 300 millimetres under earthquake loads, absorbing shock rather than resisting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am immensely proud of all stakeholders involved with this project. The structure stands as a testament to innovative, creative thinking and exemplifies the versatility of wood as a construction material,&#8221; according to Tom Bruce-Jones, the owner of XLAM and Chair of the Hyne Group and the UK-based James Jones and Sons Group. \u201cBy embracing timber as a core material, we are not only delivering architectural excellence but championing sustainable construction practices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1438\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Hangar 4 Construction\" class=\"wp-image-30426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-2048x1151.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-696x391.jpg 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-1068x600.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hangar-4-Construction-1920x1079.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">With 7,141 prefabricated timber components, 250,000 screws, and hinge\u2011connected trusses designed to flex under seismic loads, the project showcases precision engineering and collaborative problem\u2011solving. XLAM\u2019s Design for Manufacture and Assembly approach ensured every connection fit perfectly, enabling safe transport, accurate installation, and on\u2011schedule delivery despite pandemic delays. (Photo Credit: Supplied by Hyne).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Wood Central understands that XLAM\u2019s involvement in the project extended across design, the timber supply, logistics and on-site installation, using a procurement method known as Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA). In total, more than 780 cubic metres of cross-laminated timber panels and 580 cubic metres of laminated veneer lumber beams were used on the project, and to validate the complex geometry, a full\u2011scale prototype purlin section was built, allowing the project team and client to see the precision and scale firsthand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The scale of the project demanded careful planning.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>Trusses were prefabricated in multiple sections to allow safe transport, with routes 3D\u2011scanned and specialist trailers engaged to move components nearly 860 kilometres from Nelson to Auckland. &#8220;The DfMA approach enabled us to adopt a highly structured, early\u2011manufacture and pre\u2011assembly process to ensure the project met programme constraints both onsite and across the wider supply chain,&#8221; said Keith Knox, XLAM\u2019s General Manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1833\" height=\"1031\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4.jpg\" alt=\"Spanning 98 m across and 35 m high, this seismic-resilient, zero-carbon hangar is built to house A380s and Dreamliners and future-proof aviation for the next 50 years. (Photo Credit: Supplied by Air New Zealand)\" class=\"wp-image-28807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4.jpg 1833w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4-696x391.jpg 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Hangar-4-opening-4-1068x601.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1833px) 100vw, 1833px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Spanning 98 m across and 35 m high, this seismic-resilient, zero-carbon hangar is built to house A380s and Dreamliners and future-proof aviation for the next 50 years. (Photo Credit: Supplied by Air New Zealand)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Last month, NZ Strong project manager Jimmy Corric, the builder responsible for the project, said that timber and geometry do what they do best. Speaking at Timber Construct &#8211; Australia&#8217;s largest timber in construction conference, Strong said timber &#8220;can wobble about in the breeze\u2014 because it\u2019s a seismic structure,\u201d who joined with Patrick Thompson (Studio Pacific Architecture), engineer Chris Speed (Dunning Thornton) and fabricator Daniel Jones (Xlam) to discuss the project. \u201cYou either make these really rigid structures that constrain everything, or you have structures that move a little bit and allow things to give,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Zealand&#8217;s timber hangar, the world&#8217;s first aircraft maintenance facility built from engineered wood, is making waves around the globe. Opened in September by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon\u2014who first commissioned the project five years ago while serving as the airline&#8217;s CEO\u2014Hangar 4 is the Southern Hemisphere&#8217;s largest free\u2011spanning timber arch and has been designed to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[3,38,37,35,33,32,46,39,43,45,44,31,40],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[70],"class_list":{"0":"post-30425","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-architecture","8":"category-architecture-and-design","9":"category-building-and-construction","10":"category-case-studies","11":"category-editors-picks","12":"category-global-news","13":"category-industry","14":"category-mass-timber","15":"category-structural-wood-products","16":"category-sustainability","17":"category-sustainable-forest-management","18":"category-top-stories","19":"category-wood-products"},"authors":[{"term_id":70,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jason","display_name":"Jason Ross","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30428,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30425\/revisions\/30428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30425"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=30425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}