Airbus Landing Gear Test Centre

Location
Bristol
Client
Airbus
Value
£3.6m
Completion
2012
Size
60,000sqft
BREEAM Rating
'Very Good'

Sustainable industrial architecture

This building, designated 10x, is located at the Filton campus in Bristol. Its purpose is to test landing gear for the Airbus A350 XWB (extra wide bodied) aircraft, which is made primarily from carbon fibre. It comprises an area of approximately 60,000sqft for rigs for testing the landing gear, supported by avionics suites, control rooms and specialist hydraulic pump rooms.

The building is very functional. However the design encompasses many sustainable features and the materials for the external envelope were chosen from the Green Guide to Specification. These measures enabled the project to obtain a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’. This was designed to match the 60-year operating life of the aircraft. It was completed on time and within budget.