Transformation of 1917 interwar Grade II Listed hangar at Filton Airfield to deliver office and commercial use with café and community spaces.

Sitting at the heart of the first phases of the YTL residential development at Filton Airfield the transformation of this 1917 interwar Grade II Listed hangar is used to deliver office and commercial use with café and community spaces.

Originally Hangar 16U was erected as a general service flight shed for the Royal Flying Corps. It forms an important group of aircraft hangars built during the interwar period by the UK Government being constructed with iconic prefabricated ‘Belfast’ roof tresses manufactured in Ireland and shipped to numerous locations around England.  In its interwar period Hangar U16 was used for the reception and final assembly of aircraft from the Bristol Aeroplane factory, as well as for storage, testing and distribution for operational squadrons. Post WWII it has typically been used in a servicing capacity rather than as a hangar.

Ferguson Mann Architects’ proposal introduces two new mezzanine floor plates that only occupy parts of the building volume, ensuring other areas retaining the full building height enabling a sense of size and scale of the original interior to be retained. The east and west gable walls are replaced with glazed walls to allow maximum light into the interior. The unique, and stunning roof trusses are retained, whilst the roof covering, now at the end of its life is replaced with a new design to mimic the original form and coverings whilst delivering enhanced environmental performance. The project received planning permission in Autumn 2018.