Bangladesh Navy
BNS Sheikh Mujib, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Architectural & Structural Design
The Bellman Hangar is a 2,650-square-metre facility designed by MDM Architects as part of the establishment of a new naval base at BNS Sheikh Mujib in Dhaka. The complex includes an aircraft storage facility, associated office buildings and a parade ground adjacent to the hangar.
The hangar structure rests on 73 precast piles, each driven to a depth of 12 metres — a method chosen to accelerate the construction programme. The primary hangar volume is a structural steel gable-frame system clad in double-skinned, insulated corrugated sheeting, engineered to withstand wind speeds of up to 210 kilometres per hour. Louvres and multiple apertures are incorporated throughout to facilitate natural lighting and cross-ventilation.
Two vertical bi-fold hydraulic doors are integrated into the design, one measuring 5 metres and the other 28 metres in span, with a clear height of 4 metres — maximising usable floor area on both sides of the building. The hangar is also designed to function as a multipurpose hall for official naval events when not in aircraft storage use.