YPK

YPK Airport is a regional airport in Pitt Meadows, located within 60-km from YVR International Airport. Serving as an extension to the existing airport, the owners of YPK are planning a five hangar expansion to the outer corner of their site. The prominent corner position presented an opportunity to create an iconic collection of buildings.

Our scope is limited to facade design of five new aircraft hangars, covering an area of over 200,000 sqft. The hangars are pre-fabricated, meaning the only adjustable variable is surface treatment and lighting.

Our design focused on giving the massive hangars a sense of human scale, while improving way-finding in a classically simple hangar typology. We used galvalume breaks to materially split each hangar into five horizontal bays, and employed lighting to enhance the architectural moves and signage.

At the scale of the airport and highway, we clad each hangar in coloured panels to create a seamless gradient, lightening toward the sky. This clearly demarcates the buildings from the runway, which is important for landing aircraft, and makes the hangars appear smaller in the landscape. In addition to providing the clients with a captivating narrative, the concept is useful for wayfinding. Further, the facade design becomes a framework and easily replicable motif that allows for customization and future expansion.

Our design for YPK is an example of how design thinking within tight constraints can effectively improve even the most utilitarian of building types.