In planning the stand layout we of course studied what had been done at :LHR T5 and used consultants who had worked on that project, with a view to adopting proven good practice (aka copying!). One of the constraints at MAN-TP is that we were (are) building onto an existing apron which had been designed to work with a frontage at 90 degrees to the new one (old T2 western pier). This created a complex 3D challenge to resolve the levels between aircraft sill height, working right back to through the airbridge, gate door, and pier to the terminal building whilst complying with various regulatory requirements on gradients. The more usual case such as at LHR T5 is a coordinated blank sheet design with no pre-existing apron levels. At MAN this legacy translated into lateral constraints at the head of stand, and so in the interface between aircarft and terminal.