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Grimshaw Architects-designed Heathrow Airport expansion moves forward

2019-06-18T14:58:00-04:00

London's Heathrow Airport has unveiled a transformative, Grimshaw Architects-designed masterplan proposal that could reshape the airport as well as its immediate surroundings.

As part of the plan, airport authorities aim to open a third runway to the north of the London airport by 2026, followed by incremental improvements due to come online over the following two decades. Ultimately, the plan is expected to be fully implemented by 2050.

Interior view of one of the proposed terminals. Image courtesy of © Heathrow Airport Limited 2019.

According to the plan, the runway will be placed atop an existing highway and will also extend across a nearby river. In order to construct the runway, the airport will also need to demolish 750 homes, including the entire village of Longford, CNN reports.

Map depicting a new green loop and other improvements to be created as part of the plan. Image courtesy of © Heathrow Airport Limited 2019.

The plan envisions completely transforming and reprogrammi...

Third runway at Heathrow gets the go-ahead

2016-10-25T12:30:00-04:00

Ministers approved the long-awaited decision at a cabinet committee meeting on Tuesday. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling called the decision "truly momentous" and said expansion would improve the UK's connections with the rest of the world and support trade and jobs. Although Heathrow has always been the favourite among businesses, it has attracted the most opposition from MPs with constituencies near the airport or under flight paths.

The expansion which had been publicly opposed by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Tory MP for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith and Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson has been widely debated for years.

Funded with private sector cash the new runway will cost £17.6 billion but provide 260,000 more flights with an estimated boost of £147 billion to the economy over 60 years. However, construction is unlikely to begin until 2020 at the earliest.

Read more about Heathrow and UK aviation projects here:

Grimshaw chosen to design Heathrow's new terminal

2016-07-20T11:48:00-04:00

Heathrow Airport has chosen Grimshaw to draw up concepts for a ’hub airport of the future’ as part of its ambitious £16 billion growth plans The practice, which saw off Zaha Hadid Architects, Benoy and HOK, was praised for ’pushing the boundary of what an airport could and should be’ and for showing ’how Heathrow could be expanded in a sustainable but affordable way’.

Grimshaw has been chosen to design a new terminal for London's Heathrow Airport. However, it remains up in the air wether the plans for a third runway will be given permission by the UK government. Many critics of Heathrow's expansion have been given top posts in Teresa May's new Cabinet, causing speculation that the expansion could be thwarted.

However, Head of Design at Heathrow, Barry Weekes maintained that “With the Concept Architect and Programme Client Partners now in place, we are now ready to begin the process of expansion once the Government makes the right choice for the whole of Britain.” Going further, Andrew Thomas, a partner at Grimshaw stated "We believe the expansion of Heathrow is vital to maintaining the UK’s place within the global economy". This announcement in the aftermath of Brexit is undoubtedly an attempt to solidify the case for Heathrow's expansion.

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Benoy Announced in Heathrow Shortlist for Terminal of the Future Expansion

2016-05-20T11:37:00-04:00

Benoy has been shortlisted along with three other British design firms including HOK, Grimshaw and Zaha Hadid to create a a new concept for the country's global gateway. The architects were asked by Heathrow to consider the purpose and potential of an airport with the resulting designs showcasing bold new strategies for a world class sustainable airport. The designs focus on innovative passenger experience and the integration of local communities.

Benoy Global Director Tom Cartledge commented on the appointment saying;

“The Aviation sector is incredibly exciting at the moment as we are rapidly evolving our expectations and imaginations of what an Airport represents. We are extremely honoured to be included in the shortlist and our concept has reimagined Heathrow as a ‘Destination’ in its own right, transforming the site to be at the forefront of the next generation of airports.”

Take a look at Benoy's design concept below:

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