Oldest surviving hangars with shallow domes (1918)

Author(s):	Christina Czymay
Medium:	conference paper
Language(s):	English
Conference:	6th International Congress on Construction History (6ICCH 2018), July 9-13, 2018, Brussels, Belgium
Published in:	Building Knowledge, Constructing Histories [2 vols.]
Page(s):	191-198
Year:	2018
Abstract:	Six aircraft hangars from the time of the First World War have been preserved in Berlin-Karlshorst and have been listed as building monuments. The high degree of fire resistance and durability of the iron reinforced concrete used as building material was sufficient cause for the Berlin Militär-Neubauamt [Military Construction Authority] to commission Gebr. Rank, a Munich company experienced in reinforced concrete, to construct an aircraft workshop and an aircraft hangar. They designed shallow domes to be constructed from hollow bricks for the huge widths of these buildings, and the domes together with the lower and upper iron reinforcements and concrete layers had a thickness of only 18 cm. The six Berlin hangars have in each case three shallow domes and as a result of their being in one straight line have a certain urban flair. After decades of neglect and planning for new buildings their preservation is in danger.