Heathrow Terminal 5
Design intent
Work in harmony with the T5 traveller environment
Design
Improving Heathrow’s resilience to weather and unforeseen events
Design reality
Protecting the integrity of the built environment – sustainably
Access
Critical to the success of Heathrow Terminal 5 is that it keeps moving – and it’s not just air passengers. This means KITE Kover must perform consistently time after time, to ensure traveller movement is maintained.
Collaborative engineering has the user problem at its heart. Even though we find ourselves working directly with contractors or the project client, the user experience is in our minds at the outset. Heathrow Terminal 5 was the genesis of the KITE Kover, where there was a site-specific challenge that we were involved in addressing.
KITE Kover is specifically designed for dual use loading for emergency vehicles together with special consideration for pedestrians, where there are high volumes of user traffic and footfall. It has made aesthetic contribution to the distinctive look and feel of the T5 environment, and was designed in this instance to reinforce Heathrow’s unique sense of place.
Whilst protecting pedestrians from trip hazards, these covers are used to give access to a number of vital services that need protection, so each one is sealed using a neoprene gasket. Supporting structures under multi-cover areas have also been supplied, to meet the same performance objectives.
The design reality is that resilience to de-icing substances is critical. The covers are built from 316 Stainless Steel with no other metals present, to enhance performance – especially at low-temperatures, where anti-freeze products and salt present a threat to longevity and material integrity.
The success of this KITE Kover application at Terminal 5, has led Heathrow to implement further applications at Terminal 3 – extending its use to Fire Hydrant and Dry Riser covers. Much of the engineering solution of KITE Kover is under the surface, so it lends itself to housing and accommodating mechanical and electrical services underground, as well as creating a caged facility for tree roots. The consideration of KITE Kover for further applications at Heathrow, is the result of collaborative engineering and partnership working.
