Farnborough: Terence O’Rourke wins airshow redevelopment planning permission following €20m investment

A brand new exhibition hall that will take the Farnborough International Airshow into a new era is set to be built following the announcement of funding from the Government.

Award-winning planning consultancy, Terence O’Rourke, gained planning permission for a new 227,066 sq ft exhibition hall on behalf of Farnborough International Limited (FIL), which runs the world-famous Farnborough International Airshow.

The company had been waiting for Government funding to bring the building to fruition and, now that the funding has been awarded, its plans can become a reality.

The Farnborough International Airshow has been held in the town since 1948 and is one of the most widely-recognised air shows in the world. In 2014, the show attracted some 110,000 trade visits and 1,500 exhibitors from around the globe, as well as around 80,000 visitors to the public weekend.

The show site, which currently comprises an area of approximately 50 hectares in the southern and eastern parts of TAG Farnborough Airport, has temporary exhibition halls and chalets on a series of terraces that have been remodelled over the years.

For some years, Terence O’Rourke has been helping with FIL’s plans to improve its facilities so it can compete with other international events and continue to be a champion of the UK aerospace industry.  The first new buildings were delivered in 2014.

For Hall 1, Terence O’Rourke helped with brief development, strategic planning, architectural design and planning consultancy for a new permanent building to replace Hall 1/1A which houses some of the events core facilities including restaurants, meeting rooms and media centre as well as prime exhibition space.

The new Hall 1/1A permanent building will contain exhibition and conferencing space, with the flexible space provided including a large double-height exhibition zone of up to 134,500 sq ft (subdividable into three halls).

The bold design of the building, with its angled roofline and extensive glazing facing the airfield is intended to link to the pivotal gateway site location, as well as to symbolise engineering excellence.  The design respects the site’s aviation heritage, using durable materials with a strong aerospace aesthetic. Sustainable construction methods will be used, with lightweight, modular construction techniques and high-performance recyclable materials.  The new building will be designed to BREEAM ‘very good’ standard.

A contractor is expected to be appointed in the coming months and construction is planned to start in autumn next year. The building is expected to be completed in time for the July 2018 Farnborough Airshow.