Lakesmere: Lakesmere installs a complex roof structure for the new Terminal 2 Building at Heathrow Airport

The £2.2 billion facility at the new Terminal 2 Building at Heathrow Airport will provide a new hub for Star Alliance Airlines, which includes British Midland, Lufthansa and United and will be capable of handling 30 million passengers a year by 2019.

The check-in area alone will be the size of three football pitches and, with Phase 1 due for completion in 2014, it provides an ideal opportunity for Lakesmere, the UK’s leading envelope provider, to showcase its innovative approach to what is considered to be the largest construction project currently on-site in the UK.

Lakesmere has commenced work as part of a £15 million contract for BAA to design and install a complex roof structure for the new Terminal 2 Building at Heathrow Airport.

Designed by leading architects Foster & Partners, the project will be delivered by a dedicated team at Lakesmere’s head office in Winchester and will result in the employment of up to 60 new site operatives.

Working alongside its key supply chain partners and utilising the latest 3D design technology and logistical planning tools, Lakesmere’s in-house design team developed a sophisticated technical solution for the unique 40 000m² sqm ‘eyebrow-shaped’ roof. The result meets the stringent acoustic, thermal and energy performance requirements demanded for the 180,000sqm building sited alongside a major international runway.

The demanding performance requirements of the building necessitated a sophisticated technical solution from Lakesmere that included a structural deck sitting off the main steelwork, supporting a thermally-efficient Kalzip standing seam roof. In turn, this incorporates innovative glazed roof lights, offering a high level of solar control and acoustic insulation, along with photovoltaic power generating panels and sophisticated sun-shading.

Commissioned by main contractor HETCO, a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and Ferrovial, Lakesmere will complete the roofing package during 2012 and will employ more than 70 staff on the project - good news for both the region and the industry.