“Compared by the philosopher Alain de Botton to a work by Brunel, the Heathrow Air Traffic Control Tower represents the very best of British engineering,” says Stephen Barrett, project partner, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. When Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (architects of British Airways’ LHR Terminal 5) designed Heathrow Airport’s tower ( pictured), the goal was “to create an elegant and memorable building that would be a symbol of the ongoing development of Heathrow without dominating the skyline.” Here’s a handful of next-level (geddit?) examples. They’re also prized by architects as showcases of innovative design. And underpinning this hive of activity is the main equipment room, which keeps the communications, weather, data, surveillance and navigation gear in tip-top condition.Īir traffic control towers are not only functional linchpins at airports. The ACR team handles aircraft in the holding stacks and agrees spacing and sequencing of each aircraft’s final approach. Working together with the VCR is the approach control room (ACR), where another cohort of controllers manage aircraft once they’re within 30 miles of the airport. But there’s a whole lot more that goes on, in and around the tower, that’s out of sight. Perched above the hubbub, in a typical scenario there will be a team of six controllers attending to ground movements, landings and take-offs. The visible part of an air traffic control tower, the glass-clad turret, houses the visual control room (VCR), which handles air traffic within eight miles of the airport.
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