Rubb Completes New MRO Hangar on Welsh Government's Vale of Glamorgan Business Park

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Rubb Buildings has completed its design, manufacture, and installation of a new MRO hangar on the Welsh Government’s 1,200 acres business park in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Rubb’s 50m (wide) x 50m (long) x 8m (sidewall height) hangar, with an apex height of 18.5m, is capable of housing aircraft such as Boeing B737-800/Airbus A320-21 and will be used as a compliant Part 145 MRO operational hub whole additional hangars are being built at the new airfield site development.

The 1,200 acres business park includes a fully operational 1,800m runway on a commercial airfield operated by Cardiff Airport. Stand-out features include:

• a strategic employment site offering occupiers quick and serviced occupational solutions, as well as a space to grow through a range of design and build opportunities
• a convenient location, within 15 miles of Cardiff, 20 minutes from the M4, and less than five miles from Cardiff Airport, with over 50 direct flights and more than 900 international connections
• access to a skilled workforce, with strong links to local colleges and universities.

The hangar is insulated with 150mm Rubb Thermohall® cladding, featuring a goosewing grey exterior and white interior. The Thermohall® system effectively insulates the MRO hangar, resulting in a facility that can be easily climate controlled to suit usage and operations.

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The structure includes a vertical lifting fabric Megadoor entry system, featuring a clear width of 42m and overall clear height of 13.5m. This type of door offers flexibility in accommodating different aircraft that could be maintained in the hangar. Other unique attributes include faster opening and closing times, excellent air tightness and wind resistance, longer lifetime and lower operating costs, safer working thanks to patented safety arrestors and advanced and robust PLC-based control systems. The MRO facility also features a 500 lux LED lighting system, electric radiant heating, and a full HVAC system.

Rubb Sales Executive and aviation specialist Ryan Clarke commented: “It was great to be involved with the project from initial conversations in late 2019 to completion and hand over earlier this year. It has been a pleasure to work with the guys from Bro Tathan who have a site with so much potential. Handling the project as a turnkey solution ensured we could work in harmony with Bro Tathan delivering a truly spectacular facility on time.”

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Many of the world’s primary aerospace businesses already operate in the Bro Tathan area, including British Airways, Airbus, GE, and Nordam. The business park is home to eCube Solutions, a global player in the aviation services industry, along with Caerdav, who are creating Europe’s most advanced flight training centre of excellence for commercial aviation training and engineering, providing complete training for pilots and cabin crew. Also located at Bro Tathan is global car icon Aston Martin and production of its first SUV, the Aston Martin DBX.

Global property agent Savills has been commissioned to promote the business park’s unique mix of attractions. Savills Director Scott Caldwell said: “Rubb is involved in top-flight projects around the world, so it’s great to have a British company with a global reputation supporting our aviation business ambitions for Bro Tathan. Co-locating a commercial airfield with a business park in such a strong strategic location makes for a very attractive proposition to investors, developers and businesses across the UK and internationally.”

This aviation facility is the latest in a long line of international projects for Rubb, including hangars for Turkish Technic, easyJet, Aerohub, Hawaiian Airlines, AAR and Bombardier

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