The existing Terminal 2 is Heathrow’s oldest terminal and was opened in 1955. The terminal will be demolished together with the adjacent Queens Building.
Terminal 2 will cost GBP1 billion ($1.6 billion), and once completed will be home to Star Alliance at Heathrow. The new Terminal 2 will be designed to provide higher standards of facilities and customer service, and will be one of the world’s most sustainable airport buildings.
For the first time, all 25 Star Alliance airlines at Heathrow will be operating in one terminal, reducing the need for transfers across the airport, and a number of features will improve Heathrow’s environmental performance.
Large north-facing windows in the roof will flood the terminal with natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting without generating uncomfortable levels of heat. Solar panels on the roof will further reduce energy consumption, and a new energy center, partially fuelled by renewable resources, will provide heating and cooling.
Terminal 1, meanwhile, has been completely modernized so that Star Alliance member airlines and their passengers can enjoy the best possible airport experience. Until the opening of the new Terminal 2, the Star Alliance member carriers will be operating from Terminals 1 and 3.
The Queens Building was designed by architect Frederick Gibberd, who had been commissioned by the Ministry of Transport in 1950 to create designs for what was then Britain’s newest civil airport. Originally called the Eastern Apex Building, it was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 1953 and renamed in her honor.
The building provided space for airport and airline offices; briefing rooms, a meteorological office and facilities for the airport’s press corps. On its roof were gardens and a viewing platform, which in 1956 became one of London’s most visited attractions. At one stage it attracted more visitors than Windsor Castle, Madame Tussauds and the Tower of London.
The current Terminal 2 will close at the end of 2009 so that it can also be demolished.
