The Hyne Group congratulates Air New Zealand and the project team upon official completion and opening of the much-anticipated Air New Zealand Hangar 4 at Auckland Airport.

Being the Southern Hemisphere’s largest spanning timber arch, the hangar is a monumental feat and the result of meticulous planning, coordination and execution for which the project team can celebrate.

Chair of the Hyne Group and James Jones & Sons Group, Tom Bruce-Jones said, “I 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.”

“By embracing timber as a core material, we are not only delivering architectural excellence but championing sustainable construction practices.”

Hyne_Timber_Air_New_Zealand_Hangar_4_Studio_Pacific_Architecture_XLAM_CLT (3).jpg

When Air New Zealand decided to build its new Hangar 4 at Auckland Airport, the brief was clear: it had to combine scale, performance, and sustainability. The result? The largest free-spanning timber arch in the Southern Hemisphere and the first mass timber aircraft maintenance hangar anywhere in the world.

Spanning 100 metres in length, with 97 metres of clearance and soaring 35.6 metres high, this landmark project demonstrates just what precision-engineered timber, smart design, and close collaboration can achieve in aviation infrastructure.

XLAM’s General Manager, Keith Knox said XLAM was a proud supplier as part of the full Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) approach. “The DfMA approach enabled us to adopt a highly structured, early-manufacture and pre-assembly process to ensure the project met the numerous programme constraints – both onsite and across the wider supply chain and logistics.”

“With the XLAM proposed arch design, close collaboration with project partners was essential to successfully deliver this impressive, world-first including our engagement of structural engineers, Dunning Thornton.

“To prove the concept, we built a full-scale prototype purlin section, allowing the team to see the precision and scale firsthand, providing confidence that the design could be realised safely and efficiently.” Keith said.

Hyne_Timber_Air_New_Zealand_Hangar_4_Studio_Pacific_Architecture_XLAM_CLT (2).jpg

Hangar 4 is a world-first in mass timber aviation infrastructure, showcasing how precision engineering and collaborative problem-solving can overcome the challenges of scale and complexity. XLAM’s solutions ensured that all 7,141 individual timber components could be prefabricated, transported, and installed safely and accurately. Each truss used 12,500 screws, totalling 250,000 across the project, reflecting the precision and quality control required for such a landmark structure.

Project details

Project: Air New Zealand Hangar 4

Location: Auckland Airport

Client: Air New Zealand

Architect: Studio Pacific Architecture | Lead Architect: Patrick Thompson

Lead Engineer: Alistair Cattanach

Timber Engineer: Dunning Thornton

Construction Firm: Jimmy Corrick

Head Contractor: NZ Strong

XLAM Product: CLT

Architecture & Design Team

Hyne Timber

Let’s connect!