The challenge of future airport design
The UK government's decision to back a third runway for Heathrow has for the moment been given the go-ahead despite years of indecision. But it seems that other countries do not share the same reticence.
Not surprisingly as China develops, there are plans to build 66 new airports in the next five years and KPMG states that the world's major cities will create 50 new runways by 2036.
This is certainly an opportunity for architects to create some exciting experiences for customers.
Fentress Architects, based in the US, UK and China, has designed Denver International Airport, and the recent Bradley West Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport and has pinpointed technology as the major lead in design terms.
Passengers will want to use their mobiles to interact with vast digital screens they say and this will shape the look of terminal buildings. Futuristic ideas of self-cleaning glass and carpets are being thought about too and could be a reality in the near future.
Fentress Architects ranks among the top ten Green Design Firms in the US and has been pioneering sustainable design since the 1990's. Denver International Airport was selected as the 4th' favorite American Architecture' landmark built in the last 15 years through a public poll by the American Institute of Architects.