BA Headquarters UK, Waterside office building London, Uxbridge HQ, Hillingdon commercial property
BA Head Office : Waterside
Harmondsworth HQ Development, west London property design by Niels Torp with RHWL Architects
post updated 16 February 2024
2 Jul 2015
BA Headquarters in Hardmondsworth
BA Head Office Building
It is looking increasingly likely that a third Heathrow runway will be added to the airport as part of a £17bn expansion plan, reports BuildingTalk. How close is the new runway to this well known British Airways HQ office development by the Norwegian architect Niels Torp?
Here is a visual of the third runway proposal, the BA HQ is on the left of the ‘M4’ label, on the norht side of this motorway:
image : www.dailymail.co.uk
While the Airports Commission has backed the plans – saying that it will add £147bn in economic growth and 70,000 jobs by 2050 – the expansion has faced strong opposition due to the obvious environmental ramifications. The construction of a third runway will also see the demolition of 783 homes including most of the neighbouring village of Hardmondsworth.
19 Mar 2013
BA Headquarters – Waterside
BA Head Office – Waterside
Design: Niels Torp with RHWL Architects
Construction: 1995-98
The Waterside building in Harmondsworth, London, is the international head office of British Airways. The building cost £200m and is located on Harmondsworth Moor, northwest of Heathrow Airport, between the M4 and the M25 motorways.
photo : AM
The BA Headquarters building includes six sections backing onto a 175-metre (574 ft) glazed atrium street; each section represents a continent served by British Airways.
Each section has a different theme based on the continent. For instance, Cherry trees are planted in the Asia-themed section, Eucalyptus trees are planted in the Australia-themed section, Birch saplings were planted in the Europe section, and Hardwood saplings are planted in the North America-themed section.
The six limestone-clad four-storey horseshoe-shaped sections all back on to an internal ‘street’ that runs inside an atrium.
The street is paved in granite slabs and cobblestones, has bridges which cross it overhead, linking the individual buildings, and is looked over by balconies which lead off the bridges. This concept can surely be traced back to Herman Hertberger’s Centraal Beheer in the Netherlands. Later is was developed further by Michael Laird Architects with RHWL at the RBS Head office in Gogarburn, Edinburgh, Scotland.
The street houses a health centre, hairdressing and beauty salon, travel centre, Waitrose supermarket, bank, restaurants and cafés and a 400-seater auditorium.
Waterside has a 9,000 sqm (97,000 sqft) gross internal area. The building contains mostly open plan offices; no personal space is assigned, although enclosed areas are available for meetings and study.
Waterside is easily accessible by the courtesy BA shuttle bus. Please note that you must show the bus driver a copy of your invitation email to be allowed to travel on the BA shuttle buses. Please bring photographic identification i.e. passport or driving licence to show our Security personnel.
photos : AM
Waterside is on the western edge of London, near West Drayton and Uxbridge, in the Borough of Hillingdon.
Parking is very limited and is reserved only for those with mobility issues.
There are several courtesy buses that can take you to Waterside either from Terminal 5 or Hatton Cross underground station.
The BA5 runs approximately every 15 minutes from Terminal 5 (bus stop 21 located outside arrivals entrance).
The BA1 runs approximately every 20 minutes from both Terminal 5 (heading towards Westbase) and Hatton Cross underground station (heading towards Cargo).
The Park and Ride runs approximately every 10 minutes from Hatton Cross underground station.
BA Headquarters London – Building Information
Architects were Niels Torp, supported by RHWL
The Building Services Engineers: Cundall
Structural Engineers: Buro Happold
Construction Managers: MACE
Construction: 1995-98
Cost: £200m
BA Headquarters Awards:
Civic Trust Awards, 2000: Winner
National Lighting Design Awards of Excellence, 2000: Winner
RIBA Best of British Awards, 1999: Winner
British Council for Offices, 1999: Winner
British Construction Industry Award, 1998: Winner
BA HQ London images / information from AM
Niels Torp Architects + RHWL Architects
Location: Waterside, Speedbird Way, off Bath Road, Harmondsworth, London, UB7 0GA, England, UK
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Comments / photos for the BA Head Office : Waterside – Westminster Residential Development design by Niels Torp with RHWL Architects page welcome.
Website: www.britishairways.com