Flight simulator building for Randolph AFB

Award Criteria

Architectural Excellence

Client (US Air Force) needed 30'x72" clear span flight simulator building with raised floor and mezzanine on the top to expand their flight training operations. Second 30'x72' building was needed for 6 offices, meeting room, tech room and mezzanine. Both buildings were to be built within existing hangar, with only a small door allowing the access to the building. Unique IteraSpace solution was to use nine 8'x30' OptiMax steel moment frame modular units with clear span to assemble each building. Architectural design with emphasized steel structure and high end fire rated mineral wool core panelized walls as well as very sturdy mezzanine structure on the top of both buildings complement the high tech usage of the buildings. IteraSpace built its OptiMax modules with suspended ceiling and raised floor (in the flight simulator bldg) to accommodate for wiring, data and sensors needed to operate the flight simulator. Non combustible rated structure was key in high sensitive AFB environment.

Technical Innovation & Sustainability

IteraSpace OptiMax modular buildings are fully customizable, based on project needs. Since both of the buildings needed to be assembled within an existing hangar, with small access doors, our modules were prefinished at the factory and transported to the site disassembled. This allowed us to turn prefinished floor and roof segments on its sides and maneuver them thru narrow doors. Positioning of each component within the hangar was challenging because of low hanging ceiling fan and existing building within the hangar. IteraSpace's unique OptiMax modular structure made it possible for the entire building to be assembled within the hangar, with mezzanine structure on the top of both buildings without any alternations to the existing hangar. Furthermore, OptiMax's unique structure enabled us to accommodate late (after building plans and layout were already confirmed) client's layout change request and we were able to change the open office plan into six offices at no extra cost.

Cost Effectiveness

IteraSpace's OptiMax modular units are highly flexible in design and usage and we were able to build the two requested buildings within an existing hangar, which would have been impossible with traditional volumetric modular construction. Also, client requested that no changes are made to the hangar and that the buildings are not anchored into existing hangar concrete slab floor. With OptiMax's unique steel structure, we were able to place the modules within the building, exactly as requested, at no higher cost than some indoor panelized structures, which do not have prefinished floors and require anchoring into the existing concrete slab. Furthermore, if client ever wishes to reconfigure the building or remove them they can do so and reuse the modules in different configuration or even as standalone modules, since they are rated at 160 mph, 3 story stacking. Materials and construction used ensure the longevity of the building with minimum needed maintenance.