etc Design Ltd assisted consultants Pell Frischmann Ltd in winning the tender bid for providing a flight training facility extension to Etihad Airways Training Centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Our expertise in flight training facilities worldwide ensured we were retained as part of Pell Frischmann’s professional consultancy team. The extension to Etihad’s existing centre provides space for 6 fully electric flight motion simulators complete with ancillary rooms including; maintenance areas, training classrooms and administration offices located on the first and second floors. The main concept was to fully display the simulators as you approach the building so they are visible as you travel on the main road leading to the airport. To achieve this the west elevation is a 10m high fully glazed raking façade complete with brise soleil and solar control glass. This is capped with a winged shaped cantilevered roof having an 8m overhang, all to reduce solar gain and to showcase the flight simulators. As the flight simulator hall was fully glazed and on show to the outside world, it was imperative that all equipment for operation of each simulator and the conditioning of the hall itself were located to provide an uncluttered, clean and crisp high-quality appearance suitable for the Etihad brand. This building extension was also designed complete with removable glass panels for simulator replacement and foundations designed to resist specified earthquake forces for the region. The Etihad Training Facility is now fully operational and was completed within the original construction budget, on programme and with zero defects. This project was 1 of 5 buildings shortlisted in the “International Project of the Year” category for the British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA) 2014.