World-class design destinations, before you’ve even left customs

The late novelist JG Ballard descried airports as 'gateways to the infinite possibilities that only the sky can offer', and noted that they were 'almost the only form of public architecture free from the pressures of kitsch and nostalgia'. Airports present a unique challenge for architects, engineers and developers, requiring large flat spaces, good visibility and favourable wind conditions. But they are also among our most amazing buildings. Here's our pick of 10 of the world's best-designed airports.

Beijing International Airport

Beijing International Airport. Photo: Nigel Young

Foster + Partners' Beijing International Airport Terminal 3, completed just in time for the power-play of the 2008 Olympics, still comes out top as one the world's most dramatically designed airports. Its soaring roof canopy mimicks the snaky undulations of a Chinese dragon, and is supported by a series of imposing red columns evoking the architecture of Chinese temples. The interior is flooded by light from generous glazing and skylights, with the overall aesthetic emphasising massiveness and magnification.

Barajas Airport, Madrid

The creation of architects Antonio Lamela and Richard Rogers, Terminal 4 of Barajas Airport was opened in 2006. Based on a modular design forming a sequence of vast waves in prefabricated steel, the airport is designed to guide the passenger's journey through the building. Using a simple palette of materials and a controlled manipulation of natural light, the overall impression is direct and uncompromising, while an unusually bold use of colour creates a sculptural feel.

Sondika Airport, Bilbao

Designed by Santiago Calatrava and completed in 2000, the main terminal of Sondika Airport has been dubbed 'La Paloma' (the Dove). Wings outstretched, the white aluminium-clad steel and concrete structure appears ready for take-off. Inside, ribbed casing and cathedral-like glass are fully in keeping with the Basque modern baroque.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

KLIA opened in 1998, designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa with Malaysian firm Akitek Jururancang. Criticised by some as overly eclectic in its style, the airport features a hyperbolic paraboloid shell reminiscent of Islamic domes, while the wooden ceilings of the transfer halls are riddled with star-like spotlights. Surrounded by a man-made tropical rainforest, and built around a central garden space, the design is saturated with symbolism.

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen

Designed by Aviaplan, with chief architect Gudmund Stokke, the airport's Terminal 2 (2008) features a light, floating roof, held up with wooden reefers. Constructed primarily from wood, metal and glass, the terminal has an airy openness. Its simplicity is complemented by a series of installation artworks by artists including Per Inge Bjørlo and Carin Wessel.

Carrasco International Airport, Montevideo, Uruguay

Photo: Courtesy Rafael Viñoly Architects, © Danieala Mac Adden

Formed from a single, 1,000-foot low arch, Rafael Viñoly's 2009 terminal focuses on public zones. A landscaped terrace provides views of the runway, while arrivals enter via a glazed mezzanine, providing a degree of theatre. With low-key simplicity vying with a dramatic use of space, this airport is all about making its passengers center-stage.

Denver International Airport

Imitating the Rockies that soar in the background, the rolling, tent-like roofline of Curtis Fentress's 1995 iconic design broke the mould of airports as 'people processers'. The Teflon-coated tensile fabric roof allows the interior space to be saturated by natural light, initiating an environmental management system which was a first for airports in North America.

Menara Airport, Marrakech

Led by Casablanca-based E2A Architecture, the 2008 extension to Menara airport celebrates the ancient aesthetics of Islamic geometry, reinterpreted through modern materials and techniques. With a structure formed of monumental concrete rhombuses coated in white aluminum, the glass skin printed with ornamental motifs projects lattice-work shadows into the interior.

King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah

Photo: © SOM

The bombastic design of the Hajj Terminal by architect Fazlur Khan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, completed in 1981, still provokes awe in the millions of pilgrims that pass through the terminal every year. Famed for its tent-like roof structure, formed from Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric suspended from pylons, the airport evokes Saudi Arabia's nomadic tradition whilst implementing an age-old design for keeping cool in the desert.

Kansai International Airport, Osaka

Renzo Piano's Kansai airport was completed in 1994 - designed for an island that did not yet exist. The world's first ocean airport, famously visible from space, consists of the longest airport terminal in the world, 1.7 km, with corridors stretching out like wings from the main body.





















