While you might not be racking up the frequent flier miles of George Clooney’s Ryan Bingham character from Up in the Air, odds are that you’re going to be catching a flight somewhere in the coming weeks. And that there will be massive delays. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing: We consider these seven beautiful airport terminals from around the world the kind of places an architecture geek wouldn’t mind getting stuck in — for a few hours at least.
Which aesthetically pleasing hubs did we miss?
1. Beijing Capital International Airport ( Foster + Partners)
2. Bilbao Airport (Santiago Calatrava)
3. Incheon International Airport, Seoul (Fentress Bradburn Architects)
4. Heathrow International Airport, Terminal 5 (Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners)
5. JFK International Airport, TWA Terminal (Eero Saarinen)
6. Madrid Barajas International Airport, Terminal 4 (Richard Rogers)
7. Singapore Changi Airport, Terminal 3 (CPG Corporation and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LP)
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24 Responses
Copenhagen Int’l Airport!
You missed the Kona airport… In the middle of dried black lava, a few huts and a tarmac from walking distance to the stairs. Simple, easy and relaxing.
Toronto Terminal One by Moshe Safdie
You missed Keflavik and Tallinn.
Spectacular JFK/TWA is now a museum. But I don’t think Heathrow #5 is really in a class with some of these others.
Heathrow has its problems but Terminal 5 looks fantastic.
Beijing Capital looks it should be put in a picture.
#6 Madrid Barajas reminds me of the underbelly of a huge bug. Wicked.
You have to be kidding with Heathrow T5, its like walking through a concrete hospital on the way to your death (I do it often). There is no style/culture/purpose here. It may be big but it is ugly. Talk a walk through Vancouver Intl. as see a little point in life.
Ko Samui Intl Airport in Thailand is probably the most lovely airport I’ve ever been to. Open air, lovely architecture, very relaxing.
#6 Madrid, like michelles thought, there is an amazing beauty and power to this organic structure.
[...] list of the world’s most beautiful airports. Love it. Among the air hubs on the list: Beijing Capital International Airport (see pic below), [...]
Abu Dhabi is like being in a cool mosaic bee hive.
[...] Photo: Madrid Barajas International Airport, Terminal 4. Architect: Richard Rogers. From Airport Architecture: The Most Beautiful Terminals in the World. [...]
What about KL International Airport, Malaysia?
And Bilbao by Santiago Calatrava.
OOPS! Missed it.
Dulles and Denver
Munich Franz Joseph Strauss, especially Terminal 2 & the Munich Airport Center: http://tinyurl.com/yaknyay & http://tinyurl.com/ya4x9vb
[...] you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!A great selection of images of the most beautiful airports in the world. Bookmark It Tags: airport, beautiful, photos, [...]
How about LAX, oh never mind it is a dump!
[...] Beijing International Airport, from The Most Beautiful Terminals in the World. [...]
[...] Flavorwire looks at the most beautiful airport terminals in the world. [...]
I agree with Maria – Copenhagen International is a great hub to stop off in.
Not the aesthetics of some of the selected ones above, but scale, atmosphere and ease of walk around make it time easily well spent
Vancouver Intl (YVR), unlike most of the museum like monstrosities above, actually has a distinctive character that reflects the city. It does not make you feel like you’ve arrived in an Orwellian gymnasium.