The best airport architecture transcends more than a mere travelling passage-it can be the gateway to a city’s urban blueprint, illustrating the best of the past and future. Likewise, conceptualizing unique airport structures is not just about efficiency or movement; they are expressions of pause and transition to their journey.

How can one curate an airport journey in bold and unconventional ways?

Airports can be unique monuments with futuristic design and creativity, telling stories through every curve, glass panel, and passageway echoing their statement, becoming more than just places for people to wait. This article explores the realm of innovative airport architecture, inquiring into the most striking examples, where form and function combine to suggest a redefining experience.

Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Simal Azerbaijan – Shaping Sustainability

• Project: Heydar Aliyev International Airport
• Location: Baku, Azerbaijan.
• Main Architect: Arup and Autoban

Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan, exemplifies one of the world’s most extraordinary airport designs. The Turkish firm Autoban and its visualization for creating a singular entryway, connecting the two continents because of its deft integration of contemporary airport design with cultural elements serves as a significant landmark connecting Europe and Asia.

Azerbaijan’s futuristic goals are symbolized by the airport’s flowing and curving glass and steel front, which also lets natural light flood the interior rooms.

Throughout the interior distinctive wooden cocoon pods become a notable feature. Built of warm timber, these pods give an organic touch to the sleek, contemporary design while serving as useful areas for lounges and cafes.

Modern climate control and water-saving technology further lessen the airport’s environmental impact, guaranteeing its sustainable design goals are achieved.

Additionally, the airport serves as a cultural destination by fusing Azerbaijani culture with delicate geometric designs and flowing architectural shapes. By fusing aesthetic appeal with passenger comfort, this modern airport design thus fosters a warm and inviting atmosphere for travellers.

Denver International Airport, Denver, United States – Reflection of Context

• Project: Denver International Airport
• Location: Denver, United States
• Main Architect: Fentress Architects

Denver International Airport (DIA) is well known for its avant-garde architecture, with the fusion of environmentally conscious methods and cultural appropriation. Because of its unique form, efficient use of available space, and commitment to sustainable design, it is recognized as one of the greatest examples of the best airport architecture in the world.

The most notable aspect of the airport is its unusual roof, which was modelled like the summits of the Rocky Mountains. Tensile fabric for the roof reduces energy consumption while also producing an aesthetically pleasing structure that lets in enough natural light to enliven the inside and distinguishes DIA from other famous airport terminals.

DIA pioneered sustainable airport architecture, embracing features like solar power, locally produced materials, and energy-efficient technologies. With over 10 megawatts of on-site solar energy, it decreases carbon footprint while preserving operational efficiency. The integration of substantial art installations within its expansive terminals cultivates a cultural bond, elevating the airport beyond a mere hub for transportation.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja International Airport, Mumbai, India – Symbolising the Culture

• Project: Mumbai International Airport
• Location: Mumbai, India
• Main Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merill: SOM

One of the busiest airports in South Asia is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), which is situated in Mumbai, India, designed by SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill). It skillfully combines advanced architectural elements with India’s national symbol, the peacock feather, which served as the inspiration for the roof. It features a large, multi-story layout with a 4,850 square meter roof made of lightweight concrete with tapering columns as support.

Large, open interiors that improve passenger movement are made possible by the terminal’s column-free layout, which embodies a unique architectural style that combines artistic visuals with practicality. In addition to lowering the need for artificial illumination, the repetitively perforated roof demonstrates CSMIA’s dedication to environmentally friendly design.

Istanbul Airport, Istanbul, Turkey – Reminiscing the Past

• Project: Istanbul Airport
• Location: Istanbul, Turkey
• Main Architect: Grimshaw, Arup

Inspired by Istanbul’s rich architectural legacy, the Istanbul International Airport, features domes and vaults that resemble the city’s famous Ottoman and Byzantine buildings. Designed by GRIMSHAW and ARUP the terminal ceiling has a geometric design that repeats and resembles the elaborate tilework of ancient Turkish architecture. This links the building to its cultural beginnings and lends the huge chamber a feeling of rhythm and flow. The plan is an amalgamation of modernity and its cultural origins reminiscent of the city’s well-known Byzantine and Footrest structures.

Specifically, the structural system of this unique airport is an engineering marvel, with large, unbroken interior spaces devoid of columns. The space is flooded with natural light thanks to the substantial use of steel and glass, which lessens energy usage and improves the traveller experience. The sweeping roof is supported by substantial steel trusses, and modern materials are employed to maximize both thermal and acoustic performance.

Beijing Daxing International Airport, Beijing, China – Nature Of Fluidity

• Project: Beijing Daxing International Airport
• Location: Beijing, China
• Main Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects

In Parametricism, One of the most remarkable examples of modern airport architecture worldwide is Beijing Daxing International Airport, in Beijing, China. This airport was designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid in collaboration with ADP Ingenierie. It is renowned for its fluidity, which combines practicality, contemporary environmental principles, and structure that genuinely amazes how it blends form, function, and environmental conscience.

Beijing Daxing International Airport’s vast, starfish-shaped terminal adds to the airport’s distinctive visual character. The way Daxing’s modern design incorporates maximizing comfort and operational flow, this centralized approach signifies a major mark in contemporary airport architecture. Because the terminal’s roof is made of lightweight materials, sunlight can enter the inside of the building through skylights that resemble petals. Consequently, the building’s dedication to sustainability and biophilic architectural features make it one of the most recognizable airport structures globally.

Samui Airport, Koh Samui, Thailand – Bringing the Outdoors Indoors

• Project: Samui Airport
• Location: Samui, Thailand
• Contractor: Ritta Co Ltd and Habita Company

Located in Samui in Thailand, Koh Samui Airport is an exceptional illustration of tropical architectural features, integrating the design concept of mimicking its natural idyllic surroundings. This iconic airport terminal opened in 1989 and is well known for its open-air engineering, in which terminal structures are built without dividers to permit common ventilation and lower vitality utilization.

Regional vernacular styles influence Samui Airport’s architecture and incorporate traditional Thai architectural features including thatched roofs with high pitches, wooden constructions, and natural materials like bamboo and oak.

In expansion to being outwardly engaging, Samui’s terminal building also serves as a showcase for sustainability, with its locally sourced, eco-friendly building materials protecting the environment while paying respect to the island?s long-standing development strategies. Overall, the airport illustrates how modern infrastructure can coexist with nearby culture and nature, featuring palm trees, lakes, and tropical gardens, creating a harmonious scene.

Jewel Changi Airport – Safdie’s Green Forest

• Project: Jewel Changi Airport
• Location: Singapore
• Main Architect: Safdie Architects

Maximizing the landscape drama and echoing the statement ‘The city in the Garden’, Jewel Changi Airport located in Singapore is designed by Safdie Architects. This iconic structure redefines the boundaries of contemporary airport design through the seamless integration of nature with the built environment. The Jewel, a multi-functional transit-oriented hub structure embodies a symbiotic fusion that fosters tranquility and connectivity within a bustling urban fabric.

Envisioned as an extraordinary structure, the Rain Vortex serves as a feast for the eye. Aside from being a visual masterpiece, the vortex is a climate mediator that channels rainwater from the roof’s oculus and permeates the natural ventilation throughout the interior space. Cohesively, the Column-free spans and spatial permeability are facilitated by the undulating roof of the expansive structure, which is composed of a diagrid lattice.

To attain visual connectivity and sustainability credentials, the structure’s luminous skin consists of a high-performance glazing system that achieves a delicate equilibrium between mitigating solar heat absorption and maximizing daylight penetration. The airport establishes a new standard in modern airport architecture by integrating experiential design, structural innovation, and environmental responsiveness, making a shift from ordinary functionality.

Sources

•  Japan America Society of Colorado. (n.d.) Denver International Airport Capital Improvement Plan (USA). Available at: https://www.jascolorado.org/dia
•  Autoban. (n.d.) Heydar Aliyev International Airport. Available at: https://autoban.com/en/project/transport/heydar-aliyev-international-airport
•  Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). (2021) Gateway to India: SOM?s Chhatrapati Airport Terminal Captures the Spirit of Mumbai. Available at: https://www.som.com/news/gateway-to-india-soms-chhatrapati-airport-terminal-captures-the-spirit-of-mumbai/
• Architects? Journal. (2023) Revealed: Images of Grimshaw?s ?6bn Istanbul Airport. Available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/revealed-images-of-grimshaws-6bn-istanbul-airport
•  Zaha Hadid Architects. (n.d.) Beijing New Airport Terminal Building. Available at: https://www.zaha-hadid.com/architecture/beijing-new-airport-terminal-building/
•  Estate Samui Properties. (n.d.) Koh Samui Airport. Available at: https://www.estate-samui-properties.com/koh-samui-airport/
•  Turner & Townsend. (n.d.) Denver International Airport Capital Improvement Plan (USA). Available at: https://www.turnerandtownsend.com/outcomes/denver-international-airport-capital-improvement-plan-usa/