Preparing for your first triathlon can be a lonely pursuit

Preparing for your first triathlon can be a lonely pursuit. It is a solo sport that demands many hours of hard training to master its three elements of running, swimming and cycling. T5 will present a first impression that speaks volumes about the UK It is truly worthy of Brunel in its design There are no internal columns. All other airports look the same and flying into them is a bit like Groundhog Day, but Heathrow will now have a signature skyline.”. “The central terminal area is not a happy experience,” admitted Mr Douglas. “There is a significant gap between what the original terminals were designed for and what flows through them. The aim is to provide passengers with as smooth and stress-free a journey as possible.

Extensive use of natural light will dilute what Mr Douglas described as the “horrid subterranean experience” of most airports and allow clear views of the runways. “So many airports put all sorts of bells and whistles in place but they forget the basics,” he said.The new terminal, designed by the Richard Rogers partnership, will dramatically alter the perception of visitors to Britain, who may ordinarily be forgiven for thinking that, upon arrival at Heathrow, they have landed in an airport designed by, and for, Dawn Man. “We’re not a registered charity,” Tony Douglas, T5’s managing director, points out. “While we want a huge tick in the box that says ‘public service provider’, we’re also a private commercial business, not a philanthropic one.”The main building is more than 400 metres long, while the satellite terminals, T5b and T5c (the former will open in 2008, the latter in 2011), are each as big as Terminal 4.

T5’s station will have two platforms for the Piccadilly Line, two for the Heathrow Express and a further two that may in the future link into the national rail network.A defining feature of the new terminal is the single-span 176m roof (the largest single-span structure in the UK) and a pedestrian concourse that links the coach and train stations and car park to the building. The terminal will house around 140 shops covering 22,000sq m, which will provide 50 per cent of BAA’s profits as it seeks to claw back its investment. It employs 6,500 construction workers and has used 80,000 tonnes of steel.The public will have access to four levels of the new terminal, while baggage conveyors will run underground for more than 17km. With a floor space of 260 hectares, T5 is about the same size as Hyde Park or 50 football pitches. The project, which is costing BAA £4.2bn, is one of the largest construction projects in European history (though it has not always been a happy one – BAA has faced strikes and protests over bonuses and compensation for the time it takes to reach the site). Since then, BAA, which owns Heathrow, has wasted little time.