From Studio Gang’s sleek design for Chicago’s new O’Hare International Airport to Zaha Hadid Architect’s striking new airport in Beijing, AD surveys those airports that are taking design to a higher altitude
Stressful security checkpoints and crowded concourses are a thing of the past as a slew of trailblazing airports transport us into the next age of aviation. Innovative architecture firms—from the likes of Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, César Pelli, and Moshe Safdie—are reinventing the typical terminal with eco-friendly designs and Jetsonian blueprints. Some are breaking records, including the world’s biggest airport in Istanbul and the largest indoor waterfall in Singapore’s new Jewel Changi wing. Others are taking their creativity to different corners of the globe, such as Norman Foster’s design for a new modern airport in Panama. No matter what suits your style—whether it’s Studio Gang’s sleek, almost skeletal structures, or Gensler’s retro glamour—these airports are guaranteed to make you actually enjoy a long layover.