The £1.5 billion construction of the new T2A passenger terminal at Heathrow Airport was completed in June 2014. Designed by Luis Vidal Architects, this major infrastructure project was built by HETCo, a joint venture between Ferrovial Agroman and Laing O’Rourke.
After a period of phased moves by BAA, The Queens Terminal airport construction project will be complete and will eventually have the capacity for 30 million passengers a year.
The concrete podium deck, above car parking, baggage handling and service areas totalled approx 4,000 m2 in area and was on the programme critical path.
Finishes to the podium deck area were a mixture of paving, planted areas for pedestrian traffic and asphalt for vehicular trafficked areas. The challenge for airport construction was to utilise a waterproofing system that met the programme requirements for:
- Speed of installation
- Quick return to site access
- Damage resistance
- Suitable for multiple substrates (concrete, steel, aluminium, galvanized steel)
An additional key need for the project team was to use a waterproofing system that could be installed in discontinuous phases, with ease of lapping onto previously applied areas, after several weeks delay.
HETCo evaluated several sheet and liquid waterproofing systems for the podium deck waterproofing, with particular emphasis on simplified detailing at terminations and penetrations. HETCo selected SILCOR®spray applied liquid waterproofing system from GCP Applied Technologies. SILCOR® is a rapid set polyurea, two component liquid waterproofing system with exceptional physical properties.
The system has a BBA Certificate, and a European Technical Approval (ETA).
Application is by spray, through specialist plural component equipment, in accordance with robust quality assurance procedures developed by GCP.
The Results
SILCOR® waterproofing was successfully installed by GCP recommended applicator Structural Membranes Specialists. It solved the problem of good chemical resistance, as some areas of the vehicular trafficked deck were at risk of aviation fuel spillage.
SILCOR® liquid waterproofing is uniquely suited to waterproofing concrete podium decks for these types of contracts. For more than 50 years, GCP’s products, knowledge, data, technologies, services and people have provided superior construction assistance and innovation.
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Last Updated: 2026-04-29
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