British Airways Waterside

London, United Kingdom

Consolidation into one headquarters building gave world-class business, British Airways, the opportunity to change its working practices.

This seminal development comprises six discrete office buildings linked by a covered street plus restaurant, training, auditorium and gym facilities. The development also contains underground parking for 1,850 cars, 50,000m² of air-conditioned office space, computer suites, an occupational health clinic, a bank and a Waitrose store.

Severe planning controls restricted the amount of plant on the roof. Cundall responded by developing concurrent engineering solutions for air handling and boiler plant which dramatically reduced space requirements. Refinement of the design allowed prefabrication of modular elements to be used to further improve spatial efficiency. This resulted in plant area savings of up to 60% compared with conventional solutions. Cundall rose to the challenge in the brief by producing fully flexible air-conditioning and lighting systems which permit reconfiguration of the office spaces by reprogramming the control systems - and without the need to access ceilings in work areas.