Many British civil airfields have gained new towers in the last ten years or so. Newcastle's and Edinburgh's are similar and recent, Bristol's is fairly new as is Heathrow's and the ones at East Midlands, Stansted and Luton are around ten years old (correct me if I'm wrong). However, some are rather older and still in everyday use, Leeds Bradford (41 years) and Teesside (probably even longer) being two examples. Manchester Barton is an antique.
Do architects have a specific lifespan in mind when designing towers these days or are they just expected to keep going indefinitely, subject to upgrades and maintenance ?
I feel the tower at EGNM may have to be replaced before too long but I'd hate that to happen as it so distinctive !
MC
