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Reynaers Aluminium, one of Europe’s leading systems companies have been developing the use of panelled and glazed aluminium systems since the mid 1960’s for use in the construction industry. An area of recent interest for Reynaers has been ‘off-site’ construction, a method that is being used increasingly in today’s modern buildings, in prefabricated units such as toilet facilities, hotel bedroom units - complete with decoration, and of course unitised external walling systems. So when a major construction project was to be undertaken for Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, Reynaers was chosen as the preferred partner.

Designed to secure

Following a directive from the Department for Transport (DfT), segregation and security between departing and arriving passengers needed to be improved and in many airports this has meant that complete new corridors along existing piers to aircraft stands would be needed. It is for these reasons that an offsite development manufacturing process was chosen.
Heathrow presents a challenge when it comes to construction projects, as the airport is fully active for approximately 20 hours a day, 365 days a year. Therefore the closure of vast areas of the piers for construction work was not an option. A new approach was needed in order to minimise disruption and optimise site safety whilst keeping all areas of the airport open. Here the challenge began to design and install the numerous kilometres of new corridor required.
Reynaers Aluminium worked alongside specialists in the industry (Pascall & Watson Architects, Buro Happold Engineers, Mace Construction) and commenced work on designs and procedures for this extensive programme of additional corridors. In order to take the concepts to reality, the ‘Common Product Team’ was set up at Gatwick where space was more readily available and it was here that the challenge to install many kilometres of wide passenger corridor on existing piers truly started.

Manufactured off-site and just-in-time delivery on-site

The concept was to build the new corridors in transportable modules which consisted of a steel frame for structural rigidity, complete with all services, external envelope to keep out the weather and all internal finishes and fittings apart from the travelator which was to be installed on site. These modules were constructed in a specially designed production facility off-site at Gatwick. A production known as ‘Flowline Manufacture’ was adopted as well as a ‘just-in-time’ delivery of components. As units were completed they were then transported by road to Heathrow. Each of the completed modules were then stored just off the landing apron ready to be moved to the pier and lifted into place. Throughout the process the Common Product Team entered into supplier agreements and worked closely with manufacturers to ensure exact specifications were met.
Whilst the modules were under construction, the existing piers were prepared and set out to accept the new pieces of the corridor, which were placed on top of the existing piers. This meant minimum areas of closure for the construction of new stair access, new passenger access areas and structural locations for the new corridor. 

During the daily closure of the airport early in the morning hours for routine maintenance and cleaning, the corridor modules were carefully taken to the pier where they were lifted into place to be located with prepared access and services. This operation was completed in a matter of a few hours so it was essential that set-up, installation and clear away were accurately timed. Such a method of construction ensured that both staff and passengers alike were unaffected by the major construction taking place.
Lifting equipment for the pier 5 project was equally impressive, booked some six months earlier and at 12 000 tonnes it is the biggest crane in the UK and only second of its size in the world. It took five days to assemble on site and the same to de-rig.
Earlier construction at the airport consisted mainly of steel sections which were bolted and welded together to form structural modules of the corridor assembly and then all services were added. These worked exceptionally well, but with Pier 5 at Terminal 3 Heathrow, the ‘Common Product Team’ wanted to take the designs one step further to reduce weight and improve efficiency. Instead of using steel as the major structural component, the floor cassette and roof cassette was connected by using the aluminium glazing mullions without resorting to a steel frame, which is where the expertise of Reynaers was called in. Traditionally all aluminium glazing systems have been designed to carry their own self weight and to safely transmit imposed loads such as weather to the structure, so the move to designing the system to form a structural module of the construction was new for Reynaers.

Solution based on Reynaers’ unitised CW 86 system

Reynaers based the design on its successful CW 86 unitised curtain wall system and worked closely with the ‘Common Product Team’ to ensure the structural rigidity of the combined assembly. A further breakthrough of the ‘Common Product Team’ was the unique junction design which quickly joined each corridor module once lifted into place, ensuring weathering was immediately achieved.
Terminal 3, pier 5 Heathrow consisted of 61 modules, of these, there were 14 different types which took 22 weeks to manufacture and the whole assembled corridor measured 450 metres. Mace Construction completed the project ahead of time and under budget.
This new series “B” corridor took the manufacturing approach one step further with a components led design and a new supply and components chain. The result was quicker manufacture with a multi-skilled workforce and a lighter design, all of which offered further efficiency for all parties involved.
Suppliers consisted of Glamalco who manufactured the Reynaers CW86 system, Struthers for the roof cassette and floor cassette, ACE for the ceiling, PAF for the raised flooring, CHE for the chilled beams and Prater for the roof covering.
The finished product is not recognisable as being a prefabricated structure. The use of light, high quality materials and the attention to detail has created a structure which will have a life expectancy similar to that of the structure it is fitted to.
Further projects using the new design of module have also been installed at Gatwick and Heathrow and the technology pioneered by BAA is also being considered by other major airports across the globe.
With such proven advantages off-site manufacture continues to increase in the UK. Used in other fields of construction it can offer significant advantages over traditional construction both in quality and efficiency.

Reynaers Aluminium is a long established European fenestration systems company who offer a wide range of window, door and curtain wall products to the construction industry for all sizes of projects. Reynaers work closely with specifiers in the UK on standard and bespoke solutions and can offer design installation services worldwide through their network of fabricators and installers.
Reynaers have been proud to be associated with the partnership with BAA and look forward to further projects which push the boundaries of construction technology.

Pier Segregation Project – London Heathrow, Terminal 3, Pier 5
Architect: Bryden Wood / Pascall & Watson
Design team & Project manager: Common Product team, BAA
Principal Developer: British Airport Authority
Main contractor: Mace / Mansell  
Fabricator: Glamalco Ltd.
Reynaers System: bespoke project solution based on the CW 86 curtain wall system

About Reynaers Aluminium
Reynaers Aluminium is a leading European supplier of high-quality aluminium systems. The company specializes in the development and marketing of aluminium building solutions (façades, windows, doors, sliding systems, conservatories and brise-soleil). Established in 1965 and headquartered in Duffel (Belgium), Reynaers Aluminium has offices in 26 countries e.g. Bahrain, Belgium, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Scandinavia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. In 2005, the Reynaers Group has realized a turnover of 210 EUR million with 930 co-workers. In 2005 the company sold 20.800 tons worth of aluminium products.
More information: www.reynaers.com

Further information:

Olivier Trop
Group Communication Manager
Email: olivier.trop@reynaers.com
Phone: +32 15 308 625
www.reynaers.com