Aviation Institute of Maintenance

Designed and built for Aviation Institute of Maintenance, this project is a 65,000-total-square-foot adaptive reuse conversion of a former 24-hour fitness center.

This project consists of the conversion of a 65,000 SF, two-story former 24-hour fitness center into a national FAA-approved aircraft maintenance and mechanic training school for a multi-site client. The facility was fully reprogrammed to support aviation education, hands-on training, and aircraft servicing within an existing commercial structure.

The buildout includes dedicated tool rooms, classrooms, testing rooms, composition rooms, private offices, admissions offices, a reception area, student lounge, server room, welding room, and an approximately 20,000 SF aircraft hangar and warehouse. The scope required complete demolition and removal of existing athletic amenities, including a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, basketball court, and racquetball courts, to accommodate new program uses.

Structural work included installation of twenty-six new footings and columns to support an approximately 10,000 SF mezzanine constructed over the former basketball and racquetball courts. New openings were cut into the building envelope for a 20-foot coiling door and a 45-foot sliding hangar door, enabling aircraft access. Interior finishes include approximately 25,000 SF of epoxy flooring in the hangar, luxury vinyl tile in educational spaces, carpet tile in offices, and ceramic floor and wall tile in restrooms.

Mechanical upgrades include two 1-ton heat pumps, two new ductless air handling units with condensate pumps, ten exhaust fans, and two 16-foot HVLS fans to support ventilation and comfort in high-bay spaces. Lighting systems include high-bay pendant fixtures, 2x4 and 2x2 LED fixtures, and strip lighting throughout. Acoustical ceiling tile was installed in office and administrative areas, with exposed deck ceilings in the warehouse, hangar, and select classroom spaces.

Additional improvements include a new glass storefront student entrance and vestibule, full repainting of interior partitions, and custom millwork installed in restrooms, the reception area, student lounge, mail room, and computer classrooms. The project was executed as a comprehensive adaptive reuse, transforming a recreational facility into a fully compliant aviation training environment with integrated structural, mechanical, and operational systems.