Heathrow Airport, Terminal 3 Transfers.

A vital project to improve the experience of passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) at Heathrow Airport, ensuring smoother, more accessible journeys through Terminal 3. 

As part of Heathrow Airport’s wider Masterplan to improve PRM accessibility, BakerHicks collaborated with Mace to deliver Pier extensions in Terminal 3. In line with the airport’s ‘Value for Customers’ beacon, the horizontal and vertical extensions on Pier 7 provide PRM passengers with a more efficient and direct route to their destination.

The extension required doubling the foundation capacity. Rather than enlarging the concrete pads, a costly and disruptive option, BakerHicks adopted Geobear’s geopolymer injection to strengthen soil beneath the existing foundations. This no-excavation solution was delivered without interrupting airport operations and completed in just two weeks, four times faster than traditional methods.

Given the pier’s proximity to the runway, traditional stick-build methods for the superstructure would have caused significant disruption to the airfield. To mitigate this, the superstructure was divided into modules, fabricated off-site, transported on flatbeds and installed at night using a mobile crane. This modular approach reduced material waste, shortened the programme and delivered a design that significantly enhances accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility.