Adaptive reuse has been taken to a new level with the opening of the 22,000-square-foot Santa Monica Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, Calif. Situated on 22,000 square feet of previously deteriorated Santa Monica Airport hanger space, the new museum is made up of an addition to an existing metal-framed building that had once housed a propeller repair shop, and some dilapidated hangars. The elements were linked in a unified structure whose aesthetic recalls the past, while its interior celebrates it.
Rick Solberg at Yorba Linda, Calif.-based Solberg + Associates worked with the owners and builder, Santa Monica-based Minardos Group, to transform the pre-existing airport hangar into a museum that pays homage to Douglas Aircraft Co., the company that transformed the city into an aviation hub in the early 1920s. Other goals included keeping the project sustainable, while maintaining the integrity of the existing hangar buildings on site, and also incorporating flexible exhibit space that would provide interactive features for aviation enthusiasts, historians and local visitors of all ages.
Corrugated metal siding from McElroy Metal, Bossier City, La., clad the building’s exterior. Left in a natural finish, the panels are reminiscent of mid-century aviation buildings and airplanes’ metal skins. The panels are juxtaposed with a stunning, true-blue roof, also from McElroy. The saw-toothed profile is homage to old aircraft factory profiles and the jutting nose of a Boeing 727 is a hint of the surprises that wait inside. The building also utilizes low-E double glazing from Arcadia Inc., Vernon, Calif., to control heat gain; natural daylighting to illuminate the interior; cross ventilation; and on-site storm water holding and filtering systems to control run-off and pollution.
“We wanted an exterior finish for the Museum of Flying that would tie everything together in one cohesive thought, because we were dealing with a building that was a combination of existing and new structures,” Solberg says. “Galvalume corrugated panels provided the solution with a material that was economical, easy to install and maintenance free. The result is industrial elegance.”
The museum, which opened on February 25, 2012, features extensive exhibits and displays on the history of the Douglas Aircraft and the Santa Monica Airport, and also preserves and curates a number of static and flyable aircraft. Other displays highlight the pioneering aviation companies of southern California, including Boeing, Hughes Aircraft, Lockheed, North American and Northrop.
The museum also features a theater for screening historic test footage, documentaries and aviation-related films. An outdoor aircraft display plaza showcases the Douglas DC-3, while a loft-style second floor displays Douglas’ original round dining/boardroom table, complete with a lit glove in the center, that looks out amongst the museum.
Santa Monica Museum of Flying, Santa Monica, Calif.
Builder: Minardos Group, Santa Monica
Architect: Solberg + Associates, Yorba Linda, Calif.
Storefront installer: Crystal Clear Glass Inc., Simi Valley, Calif.
Metal building and installer: Argubright Steel Structures, Pacoima, Calif., www.argubright.com
Metal roof and siding: McElroy Metal, Bossier City, La., www.mcelroymetal.com
Storefront: Arcadia Inc., Vernon, Calif., www.arcadiainc.com
Photos: Nick Springett
