Richmond International Airport - Snow Removal Equipment Building

When the weather outside is frightful, snow removal equipment is used to clear the way for aircraft arrivals and departures during snow events. In need of a new facility to centralize snow removal equipment, staff and storage, Richmond International Airport (RIC) tasked Gresham Smith with designing a Snow Removal Equipment Building as part of an on-call agreement. The building now serves as a vital part of RIC’s snow removal operations.

33k

square-foot building

vehicle bays

20+

employees accommodated

Going Undercover

Prior to the new building, the airport’s snow removal equipment such as snow plows and brush trucks were stored outside and in multiple locations. This not only exposed the vehicles to the harsh winter elements, but also made it difficult for staff to carry out maintenance and repairs during snow events. Additionally, the existing dormitory area for operations staff was inadequate, while the sand and salt storage areas were inconveniently located. Our design solution brings all of these functions together under one roof to improve snow removal operations at RIC.

Enhancing Safety for Employees

Constructed on the southeast end of the airport, the 33,000-square-foot facility comprises 17 vehicle bays along with a men’s and a women’s dormitory, as well as locker room and shower facilities. The building allows operations staff to work on broken equipment indoors and away from the ice and snow, while the sleeping accommodations allow employees to remain on-site during winter-weather events—that means not having to travel home at the end of a shift and then back to RIC in often dangerous conditions.

Cleaning & Comfort

To assist with the proper cleaning of vehicles, the facility features an undercarriage chassis washer system that helps reduce corrosion caused by salt and deicing chemicals, increasing the lifespan of the vehicles. Creating a more comfortable environment for operations staff, radiant-heated flooring also assists in proper cleaning by melting snow off the heavy-duty equipment, resulting in faster run times.

A Sustainable Design

To reduce energy consumption and operation costs, we incorporated a number of sustainable features into the facility, including high clerestory windows to maximize daylighting in the building, interior/exterior LED fixtures with daylight and occupancy sensors, a high-efficiency ventilation system for the vehicles bays, high SRI-value insulated metal roof panels, and low-flow water fixtures.

Keeping the Runways Safe

Serving as a centralized, conditioned space to clean, maintain and supply the snow removal equipment during snowfall events, the new facility allows ease of maintenance, improves operations for the entire airport, and provides RIC with an unparalleled, behind-the-scenes building that ultimately helps planes take off and land safely.