X2 at Hatton Cross

Industrial and warehouse developments across Europe have, until now, been strictly single storey initiatives – a fact governed by the need of vehicles to deliver and collect goods direct from the buildings’ loading bays. But with the opening of Terminal 5 at Heathrow later this year, demand from airport support businesses for more space with easy access to Heathrow is running at record rates.

This high demand is driving innovation from the major developers, and in particular the import of the concept of multi-storey warehouse facilities already common in Singapore and Japan.

The first of these is X2, at Hatton Cross, which is the first multi-storey warehouse facility in Europe. Located between the airport’s southern perimeter and the A30, X2′s 241,000 sq ft will offer full lorry access and loading on both its floors.

Both stories will be able to accommodate mechanical handling systems, have full height loading doors and their own service yard areas.

The ground floor loading area will be fully covered. Access to the upper floor for HGV’s will be via two one-way ramps, which allow HGV’s to access the loading are and then exit without encountering congestion.

Gtek is delighted to be engaged on the project, where we are responsible for the foundations and external works. As you would expect with a project of this scale, the substructures will be significantly larger than on a normal warehouse development, and as is becoming more common these days, the environmental impact is also being considered. This involves relocation of existing watercourse, sustainable rainwater drainage and use of recycled materials from the site.