With 14.7 million passengers per year, Edinburgh Airport is Scotland’s busiest Airport, and the 6th busiest airport in the UK.
The form of the Airport Traffic Control (ATC) Tower emerged from an in-depth design study developed using our experience of earlier projects such as Farnborough. The chosen arrangement minimises construction cost and maximise efficiency of operations by placing all technical equipment at the base and freeing up the observation spaces for movement and sightlines.
Unlike most ATCs that are often situated deep beyond the airside boundary, Edinburgh sits on edge of the approach road to the departures drop-off, therefore requiring a much higher quality finish and detailing. Diamond shaped aluminium shingles were selected as the cladding, allowing for a fluid form and creating valleys for rainwater dispersal.
A number of low energy concepts have been integrated into the tower design including the use of free air cooling, rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling.
This frees up ground floor space for office use by National Air Traffic Services (NATS).
The tower achieves a 360 degree fully glazed view. This ensures views of the airfield for the air-traffic controllers are without interruption from cladding mullions supporting the cabin roof.
“Within the low-lying surroundings this tower acts as a beacon for Edinburgh Airport.”
