Historic Hangar Adaptive Reuse for Modern Office Space: Design and Construction Strategies from Google Spruce Goose Campus

Historic Hangar Adaptive Reuse for Modern Office Space: Design and Construction Strategies from Google’s Spruce Goose Campus

The conversion of the historic Spruce Goose Hangar in Playa Vista, California, into Google’s latest office stands as one of the most ambitious adaptive reuse projects in recent commercial construction history. Originally built in 1943 by Howard Hughes to house the construction of the Hercules IV aircraft (known as the Spruce Goose), this seven-story, 229-meter (750-foot) long wooden structure has been reimagined by ZGF Architects as a modern workplace for Google and YouTube employees. The project demonstrates how office campus design can preserve industrial heritage while meeting the demands of a technology-driven workforce. This article explores the structural restoration, building envelope strategies, interior design innovations, and project delivery approaches that made this landmark adaptive reuse possible.

The Spruce Goose Hangar: A Historic Aviation Asset Reimagined

Historical Significance and Original Construction

The hangar was constructed during World War II as a purpose-built facility for assembling the Hughes H-4 Hercules, a massive flying boat that remains one of the largest aircraft ever built. The structure spans an impressive 41,806 square meters (450,000 square feet) and was built primarily from old-growth Douglas fir timber, reflecting the material constraints and engineering ingenuity of the wartime era. Its vast, unobstructed interior volume, measuring seven stories in height, was originally designed to accommodate the 97.5-meter (320-foot) wingspan of the Spruce Goose.

Google’s Vision for the Space

Located between two existing Google office sites, the hangar presented a strategic opportunity to unify the company’s Playa Vista campus. Rather than demolishing the historic structure, Google and ZGF chose to embrace its monumental scale and industrial character. The goal was to create a workspace that fostered collaboration, innovation, and employee well-being while honoring the building’s aviation heritage. The project called for a four-level building-within-a-building constructed inside the hangar’s vast open volume, preserving the original timber frame as a visible and celebrated architectural feature.

Key Project Parameters

• Total area: 41,806 square meters (450,000 square feet) across four new levels within the existing envelope
• Original structure: Seven-story, 229-meter (750-foot) long historic wood-frame hangar built in 1943
• Program: Office space, meeting rooms, food service areas, event spaces, and employee amenity zones
• Architect: ZGF Architects, with Kristi Paulson serving as lead designer
• Client objective: Campus unification and a fresh perspective on workplace design

Structural Restoration and Building Envelope Strategies

Timber Frame Restoration and Reinforcement

The project demanded extensive restoration of the original old-growth Douglas fir wood frame. Decades of exposure to the coastal marine environment had taken a toll on the timber, requiring careful assessment, selective replacement, and reinforcement. The restoration team employed a combination of traditional carpentry techniques and modern engineering solutions to bring the structure up to current building code standards while preserving its historic character.

Key structural interventions included:

1. Condition assessment: Non-destructive testing and core sampling of the existing timber members to evaluate remaining strength and identify decay zones.
2. Selective member replacement: Removal and replacement of compromised timber elements with new old-growth or engineered wood products matched to the original profiles.
3. Steel reinforcement: Strategic addition of steel connections and bracing at critical load paths to meet seismic requirements without altering the visual character of the frame.
4. Moisture management: Installation of vapor barriers and drainage planes to protect the restored timber from future moisture intrusion.

Building Envelope Performance Upgrades

Adapting a wartime structure originally built for aircraft assembly into a conditioned office environment required significant envelope improvements. The original hangar was not designed for human occupancy in the way modern workplaces demand, so the project team had to address:

Seismic Considerations for the New Insert

The new four-level structure inside the hangar operates as an independent building, structurally separate from the historic envelope. This approach required careful seismic engineering to ensure that the new steel-and-concrete frame could withstand lateral forces without transferring damaging loads to the original timber frame. The design team used base isolation techniques at key connection points, allowing the new structure to move independently during seismic events while the historic shell remains protected.

Designing the Building-Within-a-Building for Office Use

Spatial Organization and the Central Spine

The new office volumes are arranged on either side of the fully restored central spine, a longitudinal division that originally housed aviation engineers’ offices during the hangar’s aircraft manufacturing era. This spine now serves as the primary circulation and gathering axis for the entire campus, connecting the two sides of the new building and providing orientation within the vast interior. The design preserves the original elevated walkways and catwalks, integrating them into the new circulation network as visible reminders of the building’s industrial past.

Workplace Design and Employee Amenities

ZGF’s design approach was described by lead designer Kristi Paulson as a “highly iterative and innovative test-and-learn exploration.” Google’s open-conversation culture shaped the design process, allowing rapid prototyping of workspace configurations and amenity strategies. The resulting workplace includes:

• Open workstations organized in neighborhoods around shared collaboration zones
• Enclosed meeting rooms of varying sizes positioned along the building perimeter for natural light access
• Food service areas that double as informal gathering spaces
• Event spaces capable of accommodating all-campus meetings and community events
• Employee wellness amenities including fitness areas and quiet rooms
• Outdoor terraces carved into the building volume at multiple levels

Interior Environment and Occupant Comfort

Creating comfortable workplace conditions inside a historic hangar envelope presented unique mechanical system challenges. The vast volume of the original structure could not be conditioned in its entirety, so the new insert contains its own dedicated HVAC systems while the interstitial space between the new construction and the historic shell acts as a thermal buffer. The intelligent building technology deployed includes zoned underfloor air distribution, demand-controlled ventilation with CO2 sensors, and automated shading systems that respond to solar radiation levels.

Key Takeaways for Adaptive Reuse Projects

Lessons from the Spruce Goose Transformation

The ZGF hangar project offers several important lessons for construction professionals undertaking adaptive reuse strategies for construction professionals:

Structural Assessment Priorities

Before beginning any adaptive reuse of a historic structure, the project team must invest in comprehensive structural assessment. The Spruce Goose project demonstrated that non-destructive testing combined with selective invasive investigation provides the data needed to make informed decisions about which elements to restore, reinforce, or replace. For timber structures specifically, moisture content analysis, fastener corrosion assessment, and connection capacity verification are critical to avoiding costly surprises during construction.

Design Integration with Historic Fabric

The most successful adaptive reuse projects treat the historic structure as a design asset rather than an obstacle. In this project, the timber frame remains visible throughout the interior, the central spine was restored and celebrated, and the original catwalks were integrated into the new circulation. This approach, which extends to the broader field of historic building structural assessment, creates spaces that could not be replicated in new construction.

Structural and MEP Coordination

Coordination between the new structural frame and the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems requires three-dimensional modeling and careful sequencing. The independent structural system of the new insert must accommodate MEP penetrations, vertical risers, and distribution pathways without compromising the separation from the historic envelope. The project team used building information modeling to resolve conflicts before construction, a practice that is equally important in other large-scale renovation projects such as the stadium renovation tight timelines approach used at Liberty University.

Project Delivery and Team Structure

ZGF’s description of their process as a “nimble” but “decisive” test-and-learn approach highlights the importance of flexible project delivery methods for adaptive reuse work. Unlike greenfield construction, where design parameters are known at the outset, adaptive reuse projects require iterative decision-making as hidden conditions are revealed during construction. The team structure should accommodate this uncertainty through:

• Integrated design-build or CM-at-risk delivery models that share risk between designer and contractor
• Pre-construction contingency allowances specifically for unknown historic structure conditions
• Regular design-review checkpoints aligned with construction milestones
• Owner involvement in decision-making to accelerate approvals when new information emerges

Avoiding Common Adaptive Reuse Pitfalls

Construction teams should watch for these frequently encountered issues on projects similar to the Spruce Goose hangar conversion:

1. Underestimated abatement costs: Historic structures frequently contain lead paint, asbestos, and other hazardous materials not immediately visible during initial surveys. Budget 15 to 20 percent of the total project cost for abatement and environmental remediation.
2. Hidden water damage: Buildings that have sat unoccupied or under-maintained often have concealed moisture damage in roof decks, wall cavities, and floor structures that only becomes apparent during demolition.
3. Code compliance gaps: Historic structures predate modern building, fire, and accessibility codes. Work closely with the authority having jurisdiction early to establish compliance pathways that balance preservation goals with life safety requirements.
4. MEP integration constraints: Existing structural grids, floor-to-floor heights, and column spacing may not accommodate modern mechanical systems. Plan for creative routing solutions and accept that some spaces will require dedicated systems rather than centralized distribution.

When executed with careful planning and collaborative teamwork, adaptive reuse projects like the Spruce Goose Hangar conversion demonstrate that historic industrial structures can be transformed into vibrant, high-performance workplaces that honor the past while serving the needs of the modern workforce. The project stands as a benchmark for how historic preservation and contemporary office design can coexist, producing spaces that are both functionally excellent and culturally meaningful.