OPF Embassair Fixed-Base Operator Architecture and Design

Bermello Ajamil, a wholly owned subsidiary of Woolpert, provided architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture for the new fixed-base operator (FBO). This FBO is a general aviation facility located at Miami-Opa-Locka Executive Airport (OPF) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Situated on a 10-acre site on the south side of the airfield, the project features a private aircraft apron enclosed with a 10-foot wall and rolling gates. The apron includes and a 60-foot diameter turntable for rotating aircraft in and out of the hangars.

The 84,000-square-foot building features a unique V-shaped configuration. The center of the “V” contains a two-story air-conditioned terminal (prow), and the two wings of the “V” contain open aircraft hangars. The building’s curved standing seam roof is supported by a sloping steel frame structure made of 9-foot-deep steel trusses spanning over 126 feet. The exterior of the hangar is screened for privacy with fabric panels on steel frames, while the exterior of the prow is enclosed with concrete block, painted stucco, and glass curtainwalls. The prow has north and south two-story wings that include four VIP lounges, operations offices, a spacious reception area, a spa, a bar, a gift shop, an employee lounge and locker rooms, and security, medical, and telecom rooms.