AIRPORTS are a place for leaving designed to be the highlight of your trip.

The terminal, somewhere to live and leave.

It’s no longer the time for endless rows of dark blue seating… Or for the elite’s luxury lounges, only. As it’s no longer the time of airports that you merely leave.

airport in Greeland

airport interior in the 60’s

Weather it’s to stay in transit, pick up a loved one, catch a connection or say goodbye, at the airport you’re supposed to just wait. And while terminals may do their best to keep you entertained or relaxed, it all really depends on how livable the atmosphere is.

Nicholas Grimshaw is a master of airport design and this is how he creates wonderful spaces you’d rather get lost into than just walk through.

In fact airports, unlike the bus stop, have developed from simple take-off stations to transportation hubs and are evolving into self-standing ecosystems, much like a detached branch of the city they connect. And a fully functional one at that!

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Elevation, section & interiors: this is where airport design really lies.

Otherwise, airports are no different from an oddly shaped pancake.

No wonder! Airfield optimization, operations and capacity are the main drivers at the early stages of the design process and define shape, size and functional layout of the building. Plus, airports aren’t meant to be seen from the top, which means it doesn’t matter if they are large, flat and low-rise. To be honest, their proportions are more similar to those of a warehouse (or an oddly shaped pancake, for that matter), than a proper building.

Which leaves the architect with the complex task of turning these large boxes (or breackfast items) into places.

This is why elevation, section and interiors come in handy: these three aspects of design can twist a dull container and make it an ecosystem of interconnected spaces with different heights, organic shapes, impressive materials and stunning views.

A pioneer of high-tech architecture, it is still Grimshaw’s signature and which typology, better than airports, to showcase the prowess of naked structure?

Structural and architectural devices to bring natural light in, a slender structure to create wide-spanning spaces and lightweight see-through materials. These large buildings with gigantic footprints are made into pleasent dynamic spaces that remind us of the accomplishment of flying and of the excitement of travel.

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