Heathrow Airport

For millions arriving in the UK every year, the façades of Heathrow airport help deliver the first impression of Britain. The £4.3 billion cost for the airport’s development therefore revolved around creating a positive impact.

Richard Rogers’ Terminal 5 is arguably the greatest modern airport in Europe, a project on which Wintech carried out a range of façade engineering consultancy services for construction managers Carillion and support assistance for some contractors on this showpiece development.

A unique architectural feature of the main terminal building is the single span roof, the largest ever built at 156m in a single wave form.  The fully glazed façade leans out at an angle of 6.5 degrees giving the building its distinct shape and is comprised of over 5,500 glass panels providing fantastic views of the airfield.  At 40m high, 396m long and 176m wide it is perhaps one of the UK’s biggest free-standing buildings. The roof of the main building covers an area of 70,000m² with approximately 9,000m² of rooflight glazing each being 130m long.

With the help of Wintech who provided influential consultancy support services to Spanish clients Inasus, Terminal 2 has transformed into a contemporary facility with remarkably improved services designed for every visitor. The £1 billion project, by architects Foster + Partners, is a joint venture construction project between main contractors Hetco and Laing O’Rourke and is designed in a way that produces less carbon than the previous terminal building.

Wintech consultants played an influential role in the design of T2′s façade, which had to accommodate substantial building movement. Working with Inasus, Wintech provided strategic advice and systems engineering support taking the project through to completion. The new terminal building’s structural steelwork was completed 2 years ahead of its planned opening in 2014.