Gensler Present The Floating London Britannia Airport – A Glimpse Of Our Future

Check out these awesome images of a proposal for a new floating airport, presented to the British Government by global architecture firm Gensler.

Lying somewhere between being the realms of being so far-fetched that it will never happen or what could be a glimpse into our future, the London Britannia Airport looks like a modern-day Atlantis.

If the project did get approval, which we very much doubt because it would cost a staggering £50billion/$80 billion to build, it could provide an alternative to the hotly protested expansion to Heathrow airport.

The London Britannia Airport would be the world’s first ever floating airport, sitting proudly atop the Estuary of the River Thames and would have a single hub terminal surrounded by 4 floating runways that are tethered to the riverbed. In comparison, Heathrow, which is one of the world’s busiest airports, has only two runways, meaning Britannia would be much better equipped to deal with a massive amount of air traffic.

The plans also include a high speed railway that would be dug under the river bed. This railway would connect with London’s existing tube and rail lines as well as featuring connections to European rail lines so travelers would have easy access to numerous destinations throughout the E.U.

Gensler’s proposal also includes an interesting plan to turn the defunct Heathrow airport into what has been dubbed an “eco-city” that could provide homes for nearly 300,000 people and help ease the capital’s housing crisis.

Creating a floating structure like the London Britannia Airport is something that architects have dreamed of for many years and if the plans were approved, it would certainly be one of the most futuristic and modern structures in the world. However, judging by the astronomical amount it would cost to build the airport, it is highly unlikely that the plan will be approved by the UK government any time soon.

(Via Deezeen)

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