Halcrow’s long term participation in the development of London Heathrow Airport started in 1951.
Halcrow’s work on the airport includes runway pavement evaluation to the structural design and construction supervision of:
- Terminals 1, 2 and 3
- the Queen’s Building
- the cargo tunnel
- the Piccadilly Line link
Halcrow were also involved in the development of Terminal 5 and still play a leading role in delivering the Heathrow Express rail service between the airport and central London.
In 1951 the Ministry of Aviation appointed Halcrow to carry out the design of all the civil engineering works associated with the Central Terminal area. The work was programmed in phases, the first of which covered the construction of the Control Building, two buildings for short haul passengers and the Queen’s Building which was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1955.
Further phases included additional passenger buildings, a multi-storey car park, a freight handling building and a two-lane vehicular tunnel below the runways to connect the Central Terminal area with new freight area.