As part of the Lewis Air Legends Museum, this 32,000‑square‑foot hangar was created to showcase a living collection of WWII‑era aircraft, and the design team faced one major question from the start: how do you build and transport a 120‑foot clear span structure on a remote site without overwhelming the landscape? Looking back to the Quonset hut—an icon of the WWII era—the team reimagined its form as a modern rigid steel frame that could achieve longer, more graceful spans while honoring the historic profile.
John Grable Architects approached DCI with the idea of a lamella roof, a structural pattern not commonly used today and traditionally made of wood. The challenge was to make it feel airy and effortless while still resisting the strong uplift and lateral forces that act on open hangars. The outcome was a repeatable system of six identical intersecting steel beams forming clean, geometric joints. The final roof looks complex yet assembles efficiently – strong enough to protect aircraft while visually light enough to let the hangar feel open and sky‑oriented.
