A customer satisfaction survey highlighted Gate 25 in Terminal 3 at Heathrow airport, as one of the lowest scoring at the airport for ‘look and feel’. Heathrow had the idea of creating “the Garden Gate” – the concept being an English garden within the airport. By designing bespoke, freestanding, self-contained living wall units we were able to help that vision come to life.
Project Details
Passengers flying from Terminal 3, Gate 25 are now being treated to a garden of 1,680 plants, including the English native Ivy and Peace Lily. Heathrow’s Garden Gate is its latest effort to make every journey better, by providing an eco-sanctuary within Britain’s busiest airport. Academic research points to a correlation between calm, comfort and relaxation, and our exposure to plants. The Garden Gate at Heathrow is the latest, and perhaps most iconic, living wall representing the advancement of eco-technologies in the UK. The world’s major cities are increasingly investing in green infrastructure, and the Garden Gate, both technically and ecologically, is cutting edge for its ease of installation, unique plant selection and LED lighting system.
The Heathrow Airport Living Wall is comprised of 7 panels, 1.8m high x 2.4m wide, each containing 240 plants. Each plant panel is fitted with a water reservoir and nutrient system, which allows the wall to flourish for an extended period of time in an artificial environment. Advancements in LED technology enables indoor plant growth using less energy (e.g. more light and less heat).
The plant selection is largely based on early research conducted by Dr Bill Wolverton on behalf of NASA, to prove that plants, namely the English Ivy and the Peace Lily, absorbed the air around them, translocated it to their roots, where organisms turned some air particles into food for the plant.
Watch the living wall construction process from nursery to installation.
Highlights
- Bespoke internal living wall design
- Cutting edge installation & LED lighting system
- Freestanding, self-contained living wall units
- Seven units, each 1.8m high x 2.4m wide, 1680 plants
- Increase in passenger ratings for ‘Look & Feel’ of Gate 25
- Enjoyed by 287,274 passengers every year
Our Approach
Heathrow Airport conducted a customer satisfaction survey within Gate 25 before and after the living wall installation.
Gate 25 was chosen for the living wall installation because it had one of the lowest customer satisfaction results in the airport, and the customer journey team wanted to improve the scores.
Before the living wall installation only 47% of the passengers surveyed felt positive or very positive about the ‘look and feel’ of the gate room, but after the living wall was installed that rose dramatically to 72%.
You can learn more about the benefits of indoor living walls here
With our new Garden Gate, our passengers can enjoy a natural sanctuary of rest and relaxation as they make their way through the airport, with 1,680 plants ready to see them on their way
Emma Gilthorpe Strategy Director, Heathrow Airport
Key Benefits
