RSHP-designed Heathrow T5 named as one of the World’s Top Airports in 2019

Heathrow T5 has, for the seventh year in a row, been named as one of the Skytrax’s top airports in the world as part of the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2019.

Designed by RSHP, the terminal became operational in March 2008, after being officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The original competition scheme evolved during the 1990s, shaped by changing requirements, including a dramatic reduction in site area and different security needs.

The built scheme for the main terminal offers an unencumbered, long-span ‘envelope’ – developed with Arup – with a flexibility of internal space conceptually similar to that of the practice’s much earlier design for the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Departure and arrivals areas, check-in desks, commercial space, retail, offices, passenger lounges, back-up and other facilities are all contained within freestanding steel-framed structures inside the building and can be dismantled and reconfigured as future needs change. The built, multi-level scheme is contained beneath an elegant, curved floating roof, supported by slim columns at the perimeter edges to provide the required highly flexible and visually dramatic internal space. In this scheme, passengers depart and arrive in a terminal building which offers generous spaces and fine views across the airport.

T5 was first recognised as one of the world’s top 100 airports by Skytrax in 2013 and has been making the list every year since then. The World Airport Awards began in 1999, when Skytrax launched its first global, airport customer satisfaction survey. They are regarded as a quality benchmark for the world airport industry, assessing customer service and facilities across over 550 airports. The focus is to deliver a customer survey and airport awards process that is independent, impartial and global, and this ethos remains essential to all aspects in the present day.

“We are delighted that terminal 5 continues to be recognised by passengers as one of the world’s best airport terminals, especially in the 10th year anniversary of its opening.” - Andrew Tyley, Partner, RSHP