Transport - Heathrow Terminal 4 Refurbishment
Transport - Heathrow Terminal 4 Refurbishment from Rob Atkinson
Transport - Heathrow Terminal 4 Refurbishment

Heathrow Terminal 4 is one of the 5 terminal buildings forming part of Heathrow Airport, the world’s third busiest airport for passenger traffic.
With the opening of Terminal 5 in March 2008, it became necessary to refurbish Terminal 4 in its change from a 7 airline to a 46 airline terminal.
This provided the opportunity to redevelop the identified areas to create a new and exciting environment for the travelling public and the airline occupiers. This in turn will help support the BAA long-term development strategy and airline growth plans.
In addition BAA expanded the proportion of terminal space allocated to retailing activities and invested in the development of retail activity. The terminal areas needed to provide more shops and restaurants, and routing passengers efficiently through security to maximise their exposure to the retail offer. I developed all the key strategies around the refurbishment of the terminal building, which was implemented in 2009.

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A major challenge was retrofitting the facilities so they could sit alongside the new terminal 5 as a consistent service offer
Distribution of the arrivals, security and airside retail facilities indicating the major average passenger flow across its 105,481 square metres footprint. The terminal now serves over 9.8 million passengers on 59,955 flights (source 2012 passenger figures)
Airside retail offer beyond the security cordon.
Proposed for a forward security screening centre
Departure lounge with retail and dining facilities
A great deal of research, testing and planning went into the materials and construction technology at every junction point of the terminal from floors to ceilings.
Proposed Check in facilities. The proposals went through a variety of amendments as technological and logistical requirement had to be balanced against costs and an expansion in the scope of work
Ceiling features with proposed integral LED screens for branding and retail opportunities
Security area, one of the most challenging aspects of the project as the terminal had an operational requirement of passenger ratios. This needed to be balanced against security screening in an extremely narrow space and integrating biometric scanning technology still under development at that time
Ceiling disks were an ideal way of creating the necessary coverage while creating sufficient openings for fire safety. A easy maintenance system ensured that the system will have continued longevity
Research into the junction between fixed cable management and interchangeable stanchion points
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Transport - Heathrow Terminal 4 Refurbishment

Heathrow Terminal 4 is one of the 5 terminal buildings forming part of Heathrow Airport, the world’s third busiest airport for passenger traffic.
With the opening of Terminal 5 in March 2008, it became necessary to refurbish Terminal 4 in its change from a 7 airline to a 46 airline terminal.
This provided the opportunity to redevelop the identified areas to create a new and exciting environment for the travelling public and the airline occupiers. This in turn will help support the BAA long-term development strategy and airline growth plans.
In addition BAA expanded the proportion of terminal space allocated to retailing activities and invested in the development of retail activity. The terminal areas needed to provide more shops and restaurants, and routing passengers efficiently through security to maximise their exposure to the retail offer. I developed all the key strategies around the refurbishment of the terminal building, which was implemented in 2009.

Rob Atkinson
Design Director at Imagination London, United Kingdom