Terminal 5 is a triumph of quality of thought, tenacity of purpose, and attention to passengers’ needs.

The practice won the competition for Terminal 5 in 1989The built version is a multi-storey building, with departure at the top level, benefiting from an unencumbered long-span envelope, as in the same practice’s Pompidou Centre in Paris. The supporting structure, in the form of raked steel columns, rises up through a tall wide margin that runs the whole height of the building and serves effectively to give it coherence.

The architectural objectives for T5 were for a sustainable, long-life, loose-fit concept. All in all, these are exactly what has been achieved: a comfortable, efficient, and pleasurable passenger experience.