CIP Lounges - T5 - London Heathrow Airport

Within the new Terminal 5 building (T5) there are luxurious galleries where British Airways has designated CIP lounges. By its very nature these areas had to be air conditioned to the highest possible standards utilising multi service chilled beams (MSCBs). In all. the project value was around £1/2 million.

TROX's specially designed beams included architectural cladding which integrated into the ceiling structure. The recessed MSCBs incorporated a variety of lighting types and TROX collaborated with the lighting consultant to meet the client's demanding requirements.
TROX also worked closely with the consultant WSP and architect YRM on a series of iterations before the final design was settled on. The MSCBs were then prefabricated at TROX's factory in Thetford, Norfolk. Terminal 5's CIP Lounges (which constitue a higher status than VIP) incorporate fittings - including MSCBs - finished to an extremely high quality.
The beams were mocked up and tested at TROX's state-of-the-art laboratories under the supervision of the services contractor SPIE Matthew Hall and the tests were witnessed by the consultant WSP, architect YRM and project manager MACE.

TROX won this important contract partly because it had already successfully supplied chilled beams to T5B - the 442m second terminal building which has 17 departure gates, its own shops, restaurants and premier lounge. The company also has an excellent working relationship with WSP and project manager MACE.
The most challenging aspects of this project were the detailed designs required to ensure uniform chilled beam sections, and phasing the designs with manufacture. Originally, the client wanted uniform sections of chilled beams so they could be interchanged. This meant each section would be the same length and should have the same peformance characteristics and integrated lighting.
That became difficult because the beams were being fed with ductwork and pipework sometimes in the middle of a beam run. This meant that each section could not be identical. Added to that, the scheduling and design were being completed almost at the point of manufacture. 
Lead times were very short in terms of interpreting the latest design requirements and manufacturing the beams. In some cases this was only two weeks. This was a significant manufacturing challenge, but all deadlines were met.