New plans have been introduced to turn London's Heathrow Airport into a mid-sized city. If those plans ever come to fruition, "Heathrow City" would support some 90,000 jobs and 190,000 people, according to Business Insider. It could also add as much as $13 billion to the U.K. economy.
Three proposals have been put forward for the ambitious plan, which include a factory for customizable homes, civic centers, and a "medieval" city center.
These plans will only be explored further if a new airport is built along the Thames Estuary. There are plans for that, too, but it's still uncertain if they'll ever come to fruition. The U.K.'s Airports Commission will decide on the Thames airport plan in September.
Proposal 1: Hawkins/Brown
Hawkins/Brown's idea for Heathrow City include the U.K.'s first airship port, a factory for customizable homes to fill housing demands in the area, and a large park on the airport's former runways, called the Green Belt.
Proposal 2: Maccreanor Lavington
This plan involves a technology campus, a civic center, a retail hub, and Heathrow's Terminal 2, as well as rehabilitating the airport's grounds and planting trees.
Proposal 3: Rick Mather Architects
In this third proposal, former runways would divide the city into different sections based on specializations like education and leisure. It also calls for a medieval city made of existing and new buildings.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Sep 17, 2015
AIRPORT SECTOR GIANTS: KPF, Hensel Phelps, Jacobs top rankings of nation's largest airport terminal sector AEC firms
BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest airport terminal sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2015 Giants 300 Report.
Airports | Aug 31, 2015
Surveys gauge users’ satisfaction with airports
Several surveys gauge passenger satisfaction with airports, as flyers and airlines weigh in on technology, security, and renovations.
Airports | Aug 31, 2015
Small and regional airports in a dogfight for survival
Small and regional airports are in a dogfight for survival. Airlines have either cut routes to non-hub markets, or don’t provide enough seating capacity to meet demand.
Airports | Aug 31, 2015
Airports expand rental car facilities to ease vehicular traffic at their terminals
AEC teams have found fertile ground in building or expanding consolidated rental car facilities, which are the No. 1 profit centers for most airports.
Airports | Aug 31, 2015
Experts discuss how airports can manage growth
In February 2015, engineering giant Arup conducted a “salon” in San Francisco on the future of aviation. This report provides an insight into their key findings.
Airports | Jul 28, 2015
Plans to make over New York’s aging LaGuardia Airport are revealed
The complete redesign, devised by a panel of experts, would unify terminals, relieve ground traffic congestion, and install state-of-the-art amenities.
Airports | Jul 22, 2015
MUST SEE: JFK airport taps Gensler to design terminal for animals
Pets can enjoy luxurious spa and grooming services before being transported directly to their flight from the terminal.
Airports | Jul 1, 2015
FIRST LOOK: JetBlue opens sprawling green rooftop at JFK International Airport
The 4,046-sf rooftop includes landscaped green spaces, seating for 50 people, 400-sf children’s play area, and a 400-sf dog-walk area.
Sponsored | Airports | Jun 5, 2015
Exposed glulam framework offers quiet complement to Jackson Hole airport’s mountain backdrop
A three-phase expansion and renovation, which began in 2009, nearly doubled the size of the aviation hub; the only one located in a national park
Airports | Apr 21, 2015
Trends driving airport construction
Upgrades to aviation infrastructure have not kept pace with the increase in airport traffic or even at a level sufficient to accommodate the life cycle of our many dated terminal facilities. Until now.
