9 Striking Airline Terminals That Inspire Travels
Take A Look At This Design Friendly Hubs
When you think about traveling in style, visions of first-class perks and luxe luggage typically come to mind. Some design-conscious airline terminals, however, bring new meaning to the phrase. With exceptional, modern façades and futuristic, user-friendly terminals, these architectural marvels can make any layover more interesting. The brilliant structures are almost destinations in themselves, rivaling local modern architecture and offering a host of amenities. With so much to do and so much to see in one spectacular location, the days of boring flight delays and baggage carousels are becoming a thing of the past. From Singapore to the Republic of Georgia, these nine designer airports are about to make your travels even more momentous.
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| Photo Rendering by Autoban |
1. Baku Airport, as it’s informally called, is one of six international airports in Azerbaijan, serving an estimated six million passengers per year. The sleek and imaginative terminal designs invite an introduction to the city of Baku, often underestimated for its modern architecture and cosmopolitan way of life.
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| Photo Rendering by Autoban |
In 2014, a 700,000-square-foot terminal created by Istanbul-based Autoban Studio was opened to the public. The design includes large wooden cocoons that house various kiosks and luxury amenities, intended to bridge the gap between art and architecture.
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| Photo Rendering by Getty Images |
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| Photo rendering by LightRocket Via Getty Images |
The terminal has enough activities to fill even the longest layover, such as visiting a number of greenhouses that house a 100-species cactus garden and a butterfly garden, pay-per-use lounges, and interactive art installations.
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| Photo: ©Nakanimamasakhlisi |
3. Kutaisi International Airport, The Dutch firm UNStudio designed this dynamic, 129,000-square-foot terminal as part of its master plan and a new hub serving a fast-growing number of passengers in the Republic of Georgia. Bright red metal panels on one end of the steel-frame structure create a vivid focal point along the glazed façade.
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| Photo: ©Nakanimamasakhlisi |
A network of wood beams spreads across the ceilings above waiting areas.
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| Photo: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners |
4. Queen Alia International Airport in Amman,
Designed by London-based Foster + Partners, Jordan, is capped by a hivelike poured-concrete canopy that covers the entire 1.24-million-square-foot Y-shaped terminal.
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| Photo: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners |
Inspired by the billowing form of Bedouin tents, this tessellated roofscape shades interior spaces against the desert sun while bringing in natural illumination via a number of skylights.
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| Photo: © Archivio Fuksas |
5. Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport Set in one of China’s fastest-growing cities, the new Terminal 3 at its first phase in a multiyear project being overseen by the Italian architecture firm Studio Fuksas. A honeycomb motif marks the massive steel structure, which is characterized by a tubular central volume from which two spurlike wings extend. The perforated, double-layer skin allows for an interesting play of light and shadow inside the cavernous ticketing and waiting areas.
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| Photo: © Leonardo Finotti |
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| Photo: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners |
6. Spaceport America (also designed by Foster + Partners) is the world’s first private hangar for commercial space travel. Built into the surrounding terrain according to a plan meant to help the project achieve LEED Platinum certification, the concrete-and-steel structure appears to emerge from the ground.Set against the dramatic backdrop of the New Mexico desert, An aerial view of the terminal reveals its great size and unique shape, which, the architects say, was inspired by the form of a manta ray.
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| Photo: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners |
Inside, a mission-control station and an area for astronaut training give way to a vast hangar, which houses a space simulation room and suborbital spacecraft.
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| Photo: Yuri Molodkovets |
7. Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg, Russia, created by a team that included the U.K.’s Grimshaw Architects (as concept architect), the Danish engineering and architecture firm Ramboll (as lead design consultants), and the London design firm Pascall+Watson (as executive architects). A faceted ceiling comprising dozens of gold-hued metal panels soars over the public spaces in a new terminal for
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| Photo: Yuri Molodkovets |
The long, low-lying form is the country’s third-largest airport, accommodating 12 million passengers a year.
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| Photo: Kenta Hasegawa |
7. Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, For Terminal 3 at Japanese creative lab Designers at Party devised a system of running-track lanes to guide travelers to their destinations. The design is particularly fitting as the city prepares to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
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| Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images |
8. Ashgabat International Airport in Turkmenistan (newly opened)takes inspiration for its design from two of the country's national symbols: a falcon and the bow of Oguz Khan, a legendary historic figure. Dutch firm Ibelings van Tilburg Architecten designed the structure, which can host 14 million passengers per year.
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| Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images |
The ornate departures hall leads to the central concourse, which includes an airside hotel and star-shaped food court.
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