Architecture
The terminal was designed by architects Hoar, Marlow and Lovett in accordance with the design concept provided by Morris Jackaman. It was built from steel reinforced concrete frames with internal brickwork walls, and has been described as a good example of the 1930s trend whereby concrete was used instead of steelwork as the main material for buildings intended to project a "modern" impression. A Vierendeel girder with six supports runs around the first floor roof.
As originally built, the interior consisted of concentric rings of rooms and offices with corridors between them, designed to keep arriving and departing passengers separate. Six telescopic covered corridors led from the main concourse, allowing six aircraft to be in use at one time. A subway led from the terminal to the new station, 130 yards (119 m) away, ensuring that passengers arriving by train from London stayed undercover from the time they arrived at Victoria station until the time their aircraft reached its destination.
The building rises from one storey in the exterior ring to three in the centre. This central section originally contained a control tower, weather station and some passenger facilities; the main passenger circulating area surrounded it on the storey below. Baggage handling also took place on this floor. A restaurant and offices were on the ground floor in the outermost ring. The ground and first floors have windows of various sizes at regular intervals, while the former control tower was glazed all around. Changes have been made to the internal layout since the conversion of the building to offices.
The design is frequently described as innovative and revolutionary, and The Beehive is recognised as having been the UK's first integrated airport building, combining all necessary functions in a single structure. It was the first airport to give direct, undercover access to the aircraft, and the first to be integrated with a railway station.
Read more about this topic: Beehive (Gatwick Airport)
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