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London Heathrow Airport | Terminal 2

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#1 · (Edited)
Edited with latest images...










Original post...
Monkey said:
I have just prepared this image of Heathrow East from the PDF file in JGG's signature. It's our first large rendering of Norman Foster's 30 million pax capacity Heathrow East project that will hopefully replace terminals 1 and 2 by 2011. My apologies for offering it in two halves. Photobucket won't allow me to post such a large single image:





Heathrow East will accommodate 30 million passengers per year and is located at the eastern end of the airport opposite the new Terminal 5 currently under construction:

 
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#100 ·
Definitely. The ceilings look pretty low and there's no real evidence of natural light with Heathrow East. At airports, people want function above anything else - they want the environment to be comfortable and easy to get around. From the renders released so far, this is probably Foster's worst airport design.
 
#102 ·
Definitely. The ceilings look pretty low and there's no real evidence of natural light with Heathrow East. At airports, people want function above anything else - they want the environment to be comfortable and easy to get around. From the renders released so far, this is probably Foster's worst airport design.
Actually I think there are clear glass openings in the roof. They are the blue parts of the ceiling here:


 
#107 ·
I have to agree, this is more like a concept visual at the very early stages of design. A little more openeness from BAA would be good, their websites are notoriously lacking in visual information, it always seems to have more emphasis on how fantastic they think they are.
 
#105 ·
Yes I think it's a mess. I like the "trees" but the canopy is less successful. Hopefully we'll get better quality images as the project progresses.
 
#114 ·
Glass technology is pretty impressive nowadays in dealing with solar glare and gain. There are all sorts of Low Emissivity, Reflective and Etched glazing that can be used (not that this should encourage architects/developers not to think sustainably in their use and orientation of glazing), indeed look at the British Museum and you'll see Foster & partners used of specially specified glazing that causes no glare and reduced solar gain (and also the freaky disappearance of birds in the sky).
 
#119 ·
Solar gains and glare in the visible spectrum can be reduced quite a bit, but even with low-E coatings the IR transmission is really high. Required cooling loads go through the roof (excuse the pun) in glass buildings. So while it's fashionable, that's why you'll see sensible engineers/architects add on external louvers to their building to limit solar insolation in the first place. Etched panes only make it worse because of diffracted light.

When I say there are too many glass buildings going up in London, it's not just because of aesthetics... it's also because it's not sustainable.
 
#118 ·
well due to the way the glass is etched/coloured (or whatever miraculous process they use) to modulate light into the space it causes the light to be distorted as it enters the space, hence the sky you see as you look up isnt the real image and small items, for instance birds, tend to blur or simply dissappear. Next time you go to BM notice how you never really see any birds fly over when the forecourt is often buzzing with them.
 
#116 ·
i would guess that they will have panels of glass that open to allow for ventilation and cycling of air though the building.

Although by the looks of the renders (although v early conceptual ones) it appears to have triangles of glass and another material ETFE may be utilized?

(have a look at the Pilkington glass website - lots of new products like self cleaning glass and cooling glass)
 
#123 ·
^^ Natural ventilation doesn't work for every site, nor does it work in every type of building. For example, you wouldn't want to open the windows if you were in an office block on a busy traffic-congested site like Tottenham Court Road would you? Noise and pollution are just the main issues. But also London and the UK in general has a high diurnal humidity variation meaning that perception of coolth or warmth are exaggerated beyond whatever the external temperature actually is. But anyway, there are other strategies to efficiently condition your building. Thing is, these strategies have to work in tandem with how the building is designed. Limiting solar insolation in the first place, for example.

Also, glass isn't great not only because of solar gain. It lacks the density and specific heat capacity of concrete/aircrete meaning that it doesnt retain heat and coolth. This is important if you wish to passively condition your building as far as possible. Because of global warming, we'll be moving to a cooling-dominated climate. Then, concrete will be in massive demand. Think about hot countries like Morocco, Syria, Tunisia - for thousands of years they've made their buildings out of stone precisely for its thermal properties in retaining coolth.

That's not to say glass shouldn't be used at all; it has it's place - after all, people do need a certain amount of natural light etc. But I disapprove of wholly-glazed buildings.
 
#125 ·
Let's ignore the debate between mechanical/natural/mixed-mode ventilation systems - you've got to take into account lots of different variables more than just the amount of air required to dispel heat gains. For example, look at today's banner. That's the Kandalama Hotel by Geoffrey Bawa. Beautiful naturally ventilated building, but when you stay there you'll see the effect that the high humidity of the tropical Sri Lankan climate has on stuff like paintwork, dampness in bathrooms etc. So while it's cool, it's not necessarily comfortable.

As for facades... yeah - I've always been against the deep-plan low-rise glass boxes going up in the City. There's no aesthetic or environmental benefit to having Plantation Place and 11-19 Monument fully glazed. Similar argument for what seems to be the design for Terminal East.

If we consider tall buildings like LBT or the Pinnacle, then I think any sustainability concerns are worth the huge aesthetic and cultural benefit that these towers will have on the tapestry of the London skyline.
 
#127 ·
On this development, I don't think any actually construction work has started yet cos they're still shifting the airlines around with the opening of T5.

Until they get everyone out of T1+2 they can't do anything.

In related Heathrow news as well, today was the start of the Farnborough Airshow and the Industry Minister guy has strongly hinted there that they'll give the go-ahead for runway 3. Basically, he apparently said something like 'We need to balance industry with the environment and can't be held up by the Green Lobby and Heathrow is very important to the British economy'.
 
#128 ·
^^PA copy:

MINISTER HINTS AT GO-AHEAD FOR THIRD HEATHROW RUNWAY
Published 14 Jul 2008 - 11:00
By Peter Woodman, PA Air Correspondent

A minister gave a strong indication today that the Government will give the go-ahead for controversial plans to expand the UK's biggest airport.

The Government is due to make a decision on development of Heathrow Airport, including a new, third, runway by the end of the year.

Today, Business Secretary John Hutton said the Government would "take the difficult decisions on airport expansion" and would make flying greener rather than restricting people's opportunities to fly altogether.

Environment groups have been strong in their opposition to expansion at Heathrow in west London, particularly as homes would be lost if development goes ahead.

Mr Hutton, speaking at the opening of the Farnborough Air Show today, added: "British businesses, and ultimately the British people, would not forgive us if we shirked our responsibility to do what's right because we wanted an easy ride from green lobby groups."

He added: "Achieving a sustainable balance between economic, social and environmental concerns is essential to the continued success of every business, in this new century.

"Because we understand the importance of air travel to the British economy, my pledge to you (the aviation industry) is that we will continue to show leadership and commitment in advancing the sustainable aviation agenda.

"We will help make flying greener rather than restricting people's opportunities to fly altogether.

"So we will take the difficult decisions on airport expansion to ensure the UK has the transport infrastructure to continue to attract business from across the globe."

Mr Hutton added: "The aerospace industry must remain central to the British economy - and to our future as a hi-tech manufacturing nation."

He said the level of progress represented by the world's largest passenger plane - the Airbus A380 superjumbo, whose wings are made in the UK - and the prosperity and jobs it created across the UK, "brings home to me why it is so critical that Britain remains a cutting-edge manufacturing nation in the decades ahead".

Mr Hutton continued: "Ensuring air travel continues to flourish sustainably into the future will mean tackling a new environmental and economic challenge arguably as great as learning to fly for the first time.

"Much progress has already been made with the improved environmental performance of the A380. It helps ensure this revolutionary plane will use 20% less fuel and flies quieter, cheaper and more efficiently.

"Achieving a sustainable balance between economic, social and environmental concerns is essential to the continued success of every business in this new century."

After officially opening the show, Mr Hutton said: "We have got to rise to the challenge of expanding aviation in a sustainable way.

"What we can't do is rewind back to a time when people did not travel. I think we can secure the long-term future for aviation and also go green at the same time.

"What we can't do is pander to pressure groups and go back to a time when only rich people travelled."

Mr Hutton said: "We need a third runway at Heathrow. We are quite clear about that. The challenge is to do all this in a sustainable way. The aviation industry is hugely important to the UK economy and despite the economic difficulties, there are reasons to be optimistic.

"Travelling by air is part of our whole way of life. Tearing that up would be a huge mistake."
 
#136 ·
YIPPEEEE!!! :D
 
#130 ·
Competition? I presume you're not talking about within the UK? There is hardly much competition with BAA owning the 3 busiest airports, plus a few others. This is recognised by the government and I don't see how expanding Heathrow without forcing BAA to sell other airports would actually improve competition.
 
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