Heathrow Airport is the world’s busiest airport for international travelers, and anyone who has flown through Heathrow knows it can be a bit chaotic there. BAA, who owns and operates Heathrow, recently unveiled a massive renovation project worth £4.8 billion that includes completely rebuilding Terminal 2 to help ease the congestion. Designed by Inhabitat favorite Foster + Partners, the new super-efficient, solar and renewable energy powered airport terminal will cost £1 billion and will produce 40% less carbon than the existing building.
Foster + Partners’ new Heathrow terminal will provide 185,000 sq meters of floor space and will be built on the current site of Terminal 2 and the Queen’s Building. Construction will occur in two phases to accommodate flights and travelers, with the first phase set to be completed in 2013. The second phase will connect Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 as well as a second satellite building. Once both phases of construction are completed in 2019, the new terminal will be able to accommodate 30 million passengers a year. The new terminal will include 9 new aircraft parking stands, a third of which are configured to accommodate a new generation of aircraft such as the A380.
Foster + Partners, who is also responsible for the nearby Stansted Airport, has designed efficient energy systems into the new airport terminal that will reduce the carbon emissions of the complex by 40% from its current state. To reduce energy consumption from lighting, large north facing windows in the roof will flood the terminal with natural daylight. A solar system on the roof will provide renewable energy to the building, coupled with a new energy center that provides heating and cooling and is partially fueled by renewable resources.
Foster + Partners is also responsible for a luxury 5 star Riva Hotel being built nearby that is energy efficient and features natural daylighting. Both projects will help provide a heightened and easier experience for travelers coming and going from the Heathrow Airport. Mike Brown, Heathrow Airport’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “The new Terminal 2 is part of a major programme of work already underway. Passengers travelling through Heathrow will be using new and extensively refurbished facilities which provide us with an excellent platform from which we can provide a better service to our customers than ever before.”
+ Heathrow Airport
Via World Architecture News
