12. The design of the terminal zone at Stansted Airport

Foster Associates were appointed as architects for the New Terminal Zone at Stansted in January 1981. In March 1991, the Queen opened the new Terminal, initially deigned to handle 8 million passengers per annum.

At Stansted we were fortunate in having a green field site. This enabled us to consider the deign of a new terminal for the 21st Century from first principles. It is interesting to note the incredible rate of change in airports that has taken place since the War. In 1952 Heathrow was a collection of tents. Thirty years later the central area at Heathrow is a dense pattern of buildings, many of them multi-level. Thus central to our brief from BAA was to deign a terminal zone that was capable of responding to change and growth. Another problem inherent in many terminal zones around the World today is the relative insignificance of the terminal buildings themselves. The terminals are surrounded by ancillary buildings so that it is often difficult for the passenger to identify the terminal itself. At Stansted, we have attempted to give the terminal a strong identity. The third and perhaps most important element of the brief for the new terminal, was to design a building that was some 10-15% cheaper than previous terminals at other London airports. This budget has been achieved; the building was delivered within the original cost parameters and on time. At Stansted we thought it important to consider the design of a terminal from first principles, to provide a building that was simple and enjoyable for passengers to use. In the early days of flying, the privileged passenger had a very direct relationship arriving by car, passing through a simple enclosure to board the aircraft, as can be seen from Atlanta Airport in the late \92Ws. We have attempted to recreate this simplicity for the mass flying public in the late twentieth century.