Google Reuses WWII-Era Hangar Timber for Oregon Mass Timber Office Prototype

Google is reusing timber from a WWII-era airship hangar built with old-growth Douglas fir for new campus projects, ESG News reported (6-30-26). The wood came from Moffett Federal Airfield, now part of NASA Ames Research Center.

Built by the US Navy in 1943 during wartime steel shortages, the 1,000-foot hangar was completed in 208 days. The wood is believed to have come from Pacific Northwest forests.

Google subsidiary Planetary Ventures LLC took over management of the historic hangars in 2014 under a long-term airfield lease. After more than 80 years, Hangar 3 had serious structural damage, and worsening conditions made removal necessary.

Rather than send the material to landfill, Google treated the hangar as a source of reusable wood. Crews used high-reach excavators to salvage about 119,000 board feet of structurally sound Douglas fir, roughly 178 tons.

After contaminated outer layers were removed, testing showed the Douglas fir still offered strong, predictable performance. About 66,000 board feet qualified for mass timber remanufacturing, with some planned for Google’s mass timber office prototype in The Dalles, Oregon.