London Heathrow Airport, Pier 4A   London, UK

Creating a direct link from terminal to aeroplane for domestic travel, the satellite piers for Heathrow Terminal 1 replaces inconvenient passenger journeys on foot or bus with facilities that are as graceful as they are efficient.

Sheathed in sinusoidal aluminium with glazing, the lightweight steel structure spans from the main terminal building and provides a simple, orderly passage of a high quality.

The pier gives nine additional gates: five dedicated to passengers for Common Travel Areas and four to domestic flights.

Characteristic of airport architecture, the introduction of new facilities required careful coordination to allow continual operation of the airport. The pier’s elliptical cross-section ensures that visual and radar sightlines as well as headroom clearance above the existing airside infrastructure are all maintained.

In addition to new baggage reclaim and a new lounge, the effect of the project is a transition in travelling that is enhanced rather than neutralised.

To reach the Common Travel Area of the main pier, passengers travel along independent elevated corridors, sections of which were prefabricated to minimise on-site disruption.

Location
London, UK

Project Type
Aviation →

Area
10,500 sq m (pier 3,060 sq m)

Status
Complete

Year
1993

Photography
Jo Reid & John Peck