Architects have been parachuted in to review rivals' work on BAA schemes as employees with construction expertise continue to leave the embattled airport operator, writes Dan Stewart. Capita Architecture, 3DReid, Grimshaw Architects and Stride Treglown are among the firms commissioned to review their peers' work on BAA's ￡6bn construction programme. A string of internal design managers are understood to have left BAA since the completion of Heathrow Terminal 5, forcing it to hire architects to do the job. One source said: "They're unable to hire anybody to fill essential management roles, so they are hiring consultants at exorbitant prices to carry out the work." Many of the firms are on BAA's design framework. As well as designing the masterplan for Stansted airport, Grimshaw is understood to be acting as design manager for the ￡1.5bn redesign of the Heathrow East terminal, which is being designed by Foster + Partners with Vidal Arquitectos. 3DReid has been appointed to act as design manager on a number of Heathrow schemes.
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