Archinect - News

Dubai floats plan for new 400-gate airport terminal, the world's largest

2024-04-29T15:57:00-04:00

A design for what will become the world’s new largest-capacity airport terminal has been announced for Dubai by the Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Al Jazeera and other international outlets are reporting on the planned $35 billion development, which will take shape at the existing Al Maktoum International Airport with 400 total gates, five parallel runways, and a capacity for 260 million annual travelers — five times the size of Dubai's current international airport, according to the announcement.

Image: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum via X

Sheikh Mohammed also said there is a plan for a one-million-person satellite city to be developed alongside the new terminal, joined by a logistics hub for international carriers. Yahoo! Finance reported the vision will be realized "within ten years."

Speaking via his X account, the nation's ruler said, "We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children...

KPF completes Abu Dhabi airport inspired by undulating sand dunes

2024-02-13T11:58:00-05:00

Kohn Pedersen Fox has completed Terminal A of the Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Formerly named Abu Dhabi International, the new complex will serve up to 45 million passengers per year, doubling the airport’s previous capacity.

Image credit: Victor Romero

The design of the new terminal was informed by the country’s undulating desert sand dunes and the geometric patterns of Islamic heritage. Externally, the form was developed from a desire to provide shading for the interior without the use of external shading devices, which could be impacted by sand accumulation. Instead, the undulating form “drapes” over the facade, where high-performance glass is fritted in a graduated pattern to further mitigate solar glare.

Image credit: Victor Romero

As visitors approach the terminal, they are met with a 160-foot-tall, free-standing glazed facade, behind which sits a largely column-free departure hall. The hall’s supporting arc...

Rafael Viñoly Architects designs vineyard atop an airport terminal in Italy

2024-01-25T11:47:00-05:00

Rafael Viñoly Architects has designed a new international terminal for the Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci in Florence, Italy. When completed, the 538,000-square-foot terminal is expected to handle 5.9 million annual international passengers.

Image credit: Rafael Viñoly Architects

The airport’s most unique feature is a 19-acre vineyard gently sloping upwards atop the building, covering the terminal below. The landscape will see 38 rows of vineyards to both contribute to the airport’s LEED Platinum rating and symbolize “Italy’s rich traditions and innovative spirit.” Wine produced from the vineyard will be crafted and aged in specialized cellars beneath the terminal’s roof.

Image credit: Rafael Viñoly Architects

Inside, the airport will see an arrivals and departures area facing each other across a large public space, dubbed the ‘Piazza.’ at the center of the terminal. Circulation within the airport will also be reorganized to link to transport options such as a new light rail system, whil...

Marlon Blackwell to design new air traffic control tower for Columbus Municipal Airport in Indiana

2023-12-19T14:09:00-05:00

Marlon Blackwell Architects has announced it will be designing a new air traffic control tower at the Columbus Municipal Airport in Columbus, Indiana. The $11.5 million project helps the airport modernize its facilities in line with current Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control Tower design and safety standards.

Plans call for a 100-foot design to replace an aged-out 80-foot tower with help from a team that includes Woolpert (aviation design), Guy Nordenson (structural design), Thornton Tomasetti (façade design), and Threshold Acoustics (acoustic consulting). The project is being supported, in part, by a grant from the Cummins Architecture Foundation.

Marlon Blackwell was selected over other shortlisted finalists from Snow Kreilich Architects, SO – IL, and Höweler + Yoon.

“We are so honored to have been selected to contribute to the architectural legacy of Columbus,” Blackwell sa...

For aviation-loving architects, The Beck Group is seeking a coordinator for their airport sector projects

2023-07-05T16:19:00-04:00

Following our previous look at an opening for a Director of Miami Operations at BMA Architects, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for an Architectural Senior Project Coordinator - Aviation/Airport Sector at The Beck Group.

The role, based in Tampa, FL, calls for an individual to coordinate the firm’s aviation projects. Among the responsibilities are to provide oversight for the design team, assist in construction administration, and understand and apply zoning/building codes/accessibility requirements. Requirements for the role include 5-7 years of project experience, a NAAB accredited degree, and experience in a range of software including Revit and Adobe Creative Suite.

Why the role interests us

The emphasis on aviation in The Beck Group’s latest open role offers us the opportunity to review some of the recent de...

Construction underway of major timber roof for ZGF’s Portland airport expansion

2023-06-29T11:26:00-04:00

Construction is underway for the expansion of Portland International Airport. As we reported last year, the ZGF-designed expansion will include a roof formed of 2.5 million feet of timber. New images of the scheme by roof installers Mammoet show components for the timber roof being moved into place on the construction site.

Image credit: Mammoet

The roof was fully prefabricated between the airport’s active runways over the course of a year and comprises twenty roof panels in five distinct shapes. Prior to being moved into their final position, the panels were disconnected into approximately football-field-sized pieces in order to minimize disruption to airport operations. At midnight on the day of each move, the runways closed for the one-mile transport of the panel from the fabrication site to the construction site.

Image credit: Mammoet

Each panel was installed using stationary skidding propelled by strand jacks and lowered with the skidding jacks onto column isolators. The next set...

Foster + Partners unveils vertiport terminal concept for Dubai

2023-04-10T12:15:00-04:00

A new electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) terminal concept has been unveiled by Foster + Partners.

The firm says its plan would augment the Dubai International Airport (DBX) and was developed in unison with Skyports Infrastructure, which Foster + Partners called a leader in advanced air mobility (AAM). It will help transport air travelers to other nodes in the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)’s planned vertiport and metro infrastructure network, itself a zero emissions high-speed system that’s currently being promoted by the government and the emirate's monarch Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Image courtesy Foster + Partners

Placed in the context of Foster + Partners’ other airport designs in the region, the vertiport project will serve as a compliment to its previously proposed King Salman International Airport and the forthcoming Red Sea Airport, both of which are located in Saudi Arabia and were begun in the two years since the firm’s controversial withd...

Hello Wood creates airplane-inspired tiny home for an ambitious 12-year-old client

2023-02-14T12:48:00-05:00

Budapest-based Hello Wood has completed what it describes as “its most charming and eccentric small house ever.” Named the Jet House, the project comprises of a cottage shaped like a pastel blue airplane, set within a ring of trees in the hills of Hungary.

The project was initiated by an undaunted 12-year-old client named Lujzi, who dreamed of a playhouse she could retreat to with her friends. From Lujzi’s vision, the design team emerged with a functional tiny house which, in their words, is “more reminiscent of a beautiful design toy than a building.”

Image credit: Zsuzsa Darab

“Lujzi has always enjoyed traveling - especially flying on aircraft, which is why she had an airplane-themed cabin in her dreams,” Hello Wood explains. “She arrived at the first meetings with elaborate ideas and plans on paper. Supported by his father, she followed the design process till its end – representing an excitingly different perspective from that of typical real estate developers.”

Image credit: Zsu...

2.5 million feet of timber used to construct roof on ZGF’s Portland airport expansion

2022-07-22T14:14:00-04:00

Construction has commenced on the ZGF-designed expansion of Portland International (PDX) Airport. The defining feature of the main terminal project, set to be completed in 2025, is a new lattice roof formed by 2.5 million feet of timber.

Image courtesy of ZGF Architects

The scheme was conceived from a desire by the airport to create a more cohesive passenger experience and to bring a sense of unity to the airport after 70 years of expansions and additions. ZGF’s answer was a singular terminal building housed under one undulating, mass timber roof, accompanied by an interior strategy which prioritized biophilic design, interior landscaping, daylighting, and natural materials.

“Upon entering the new terminal core, visitors are invited to take a walk in the forest,” the architects say. “Views to the airfield, daylight, interior landscape, and art recalling the region’s natural beauty are present throughout the passenger journey.”

Image courtesy of ZGF Architects

The roof is inspired by ...

Is the future of airport design on your career radar?

2022-06-08T09:00:00-04:00

In a recent article on the future of airports, The New York Times noted that the average age of an airport terminal is more than 40 years old, meaning many are becoming ill-equipped to deal with modern air travel trends. Unsurprisingly, our editorial has recently featured several aviation expansion projects across the United States as airport authorities respond to a predicted resurgence of the aviation industry following the COVID-19 free-fall.

Last month, Woods Bagot and The Miller Hull Partnership unveiled designs for a timber-focused expansion at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In March, Orlando International Airport confirmed that its $3 billion expansion project, including 15 new gates, was nearing completion, while progress also continued at a long-awaited renovation of LaGuardia’s Terminal B in New York. Late last year, meanwhile, it was announced that New York’s JFK ...

Aviation firm plans commercial flight powered by hydrogen for 2024

2021-10-28T16:41:00-04:00

Plans to operate commercial hydrogen-electric flights between London and Rotterdam have been announced, with those behind the project hoping it will take to the skies in 2024. In a statement Wednesday, aviation firm ZeroAvia said it was developing a 19-seater aircraft that would “fly entirely on hydrogen.”

ZeroAvia, Dutch airport management company Royal Schiphol Group, Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport Foundation, and Rotterdam the Hague Airport have announced a partnership to develop the project. The initiative sets a timeline for potentially the first international zero-emission commercial passenger flight. ZeroAvia’s research and development is focused on powering electric motors using hydrogen fuel cells.

According to ZeroAvia’s press release, it and Royal Schiphol Group are in advanced partnership talks with airlines to agree on an operator for the planned route between the UK and the Netherlands. The pair will collaborate on testing and demonstrating hydrogen supply chain refueling operations and how this system will be integrated at airports. They will also plan a regulatory framework and gauge industry and public sentiments on hydrogen-powered aircraft.

Norman Foster digs in on his stance on airport emissions

2021-09-03T16:26:00-04:00

I would argue that everything has a footprint, and in relative terms, the carbon footprint of air travel is relatively small. That does not mean it shouldn’t be addressed, but I do feel passionately that we have to address the infrastructure of mobility.

Norman Foster's airport projects have drawn in an increasing amount of business for the 54-year-old firm in the last two decades. Foster went as far last year as to withdraw the firm from Architects Declare, the group his firm joined the year prior to promote a broader set of climate change discussions in the industry.

Foster compared the impacts of air travel to the magnitudes larger footprint caused by meat production. The Pritzker-winning architect's full comments can be viewed in the Bloomberg video below.

Foster + Partners withdraws from Architects Declare over aviation dispute

2020-12-02T13:15:00-05:00

One of the UK’s most famous architects has withdrawn from an environmental coalition in a dispute about the destructive role of aviation in the escalating climate crisis. [...] The decision follows a row over Foster and Partners’ work on airports around the world – seen by critics as incompatible with tackling the climate and ecological emergency.

Airport designs have been key projects in Foster + Partners' portfolio for years, with prominent recent commissions and competition entries in Saudi Arabia, Marseille, Chicago, Mexico City, and Beijing.

Following Foster's decision to withdraw from his initial commitment, Architects Declare issued following statement on its website today:

We are disappointed that Foster + Partners has chosen to withdraw from the declarations and we would welcome a conversation with them on the points raised.

We recognise that addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies challenges current practice and business models for us all, not least around the expansion of aviation. We believe that what is needed is system change and that can only come about through collective action. Architects Declare is not a ‘protest’ movement but a collaborative support network to innovate positive transformation. Our movement is global. As of today there are 1037 UK practices committed to the declaration and over 6...

'Enthralling gateway to its city:' Blair Kamin on Foster + Partners-led O'Hare expansion proposal

2019-01-30T15:14:00-05:00

Chances for architectural greatness are rare. When they come around, we best grab them. Such is the opportunity Chicago has before it with one of the five plans for a new global terminal at O’Hare International Airport.

Chicago Tribune architecture critic, Blair Kamin, comes out in clear support of the Norman Foster-led finalist entry to the $8.5B Chicago O’Hare 21 Terminal Expansion competition: "That plan, from a team led by London-based Foster + Partners architects, promises to be everything an airport should be: a precisely-honed machine for moving people and baggage; easy to get around intuitively; and an enthralling gateway to its city." Foster's joint venture team also includes Chicago-based architects Epstein and Moreno.

The other four finalist teams, announced last November, are Fentress-EXP-Brook-Garza Joint Venture Partners, Santiago Calatrava LLC, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and Studio ORD Joint Venture Partners.

Previously: Questions raised over selection process for massive expansion of O’Hare International Airport

Foster + Partners-designed Tulip tower may impact London's air traffic control systems

2018-12-03T13:44:00-05:00

Gondalas designed to move up and down the top of the Tulip tower are at risk of confusing air traffic control systems, according to technical experts at London City airport. Construction on the 305-metre (1,000ft) tower must not go ahead until an assessment has been carried out into its potential impact on radar systems at the airport six miles to the east, officials told the authority considering whether to grant planning permission.

After its big reveal in November, planning for the 1,000-foot-tall The Tulip observation tower by Foster + Partners has been halted by officials to study the impact the attraction's moving glass spheres high up in the sky will have on radar systems at the nearby London City airport, pointing out that "the gondalas will be moving and therefore may have a slightly different effect than a static element of the building."

Credit: DBOX for Foster + Partners

Foster, Calatrava, Gang, SOM among teams shortlisted for $8.5B Chicago O'Hare airport expansion

2018-11-09T15:01:00-05:00

After receiving bids from twelve groups that included some of the planet’s top architectural talent, Chicago has narrowed its search down to five teams hoping to design a $8.5 billion terminal expansion of O’Hare International Airport.

The list of five finalist teams includes some of the big-name bidders that responded to Chicago's O’Hare 21 Terminal Expansion Project RFP back in September:

Fentress-EXP-Brook-Garza Joint Venture Partners
Foster Epstein Moreno JV Joint Venture Partners
Santiago Calatrava LLC
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Studio ORD Joint Venture Partners

The group of well known firms that didn't make the cut includes Rafael Viñoly, Studio Fuksas, Bjarke Ingels Group, Gensler, HOK, Grimshaw Architects, Perkins+Will, and iconic Chicago firm Jahn, architects of O’Hare’s Terminal 1 in 1988 (as C.F. Murphy Associates).

"Chicago has called upon some of the world’s best designers to help carry out our vision for the new O’Hare Global Terminal—the key to a bigger, better and more modern O’Hare for the 21st century," commented Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on the selection. "As we look ahead to O’Hare’s future—we won’t forget Chicago’s legacy of architecture and transportation. By the end of this competition...

Architects bidding for Chicago O'Hare airport expansion includes BIG, Calatrava, SOM, Fuksas

2018-09-24T14:12:00-04:00

The architect of the unbuilt Chicago Spire is among the designers vying for the massive O’Hare International Airport expansion project. The Zurich-based firm of Santiago Calatrava, whose projects include an airport in Bilbao, Spain, and the over-budget World Trade Center transportation center in New York, was one of 12 teams that responded to the city’s Thursday deadline to submit qualifications for the $8.7 billion expansion [...].

According to the Chicago Tribune, the list of teams bidding for the $8.7 billion Chicago O'Hare International Airport expansion includes big-name firms such as SOM, Perkins+Will, Bjarke Ingels Group, Santiago Calatrava, Gensler, HOK, Fentress Architects, JAHN, Epstein, and Studio Fuksas.

Chicago city council approves $8.5 billion O'Hare airport expansion

2018-03-29T13:35:00-04:00

Chicago’s City Council on Wednesday approved a multibillion-dollar expansion plan for O’Hare International Airport, after an earlier dispute between the airport’s two largest carriers had previously threatened to snarl the project.

"The city of Chicago entered into an agreement with carriers United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines for airport renovations that include expanding the airport’s existing terminals and increasing the number and availability of some gates," Reuters reports.

FAA restricts drones over ten major U.S. landmarks, including St. Louis Gateway Arch, Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore

2017-10-02T14:14:00-04:00

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a new regulation restricting unauthorized drone operations over 10 Department of Interior sites, including the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore. [...] The announcement says the action comes at "the request of U.S. national security and law enforcement agencies."

These new FAA restrictions will be effective as of October 5 so make sure to keep your drones at least 400 feet away from these ten National Landmarks:

Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York, NY
Boston National Historical Park (U.S.S. Constitution), Boston, MA
Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, PA
Folsom Dam; Folsom, CA
Glen Canyon Dam; Lake Powell, AZ
Grand Coulee Dam; Grand Coulee, WA
Hoover Dam; Boulder City, NV
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial; St. Louis, MO
Mount Rushmore National Memorial; Keystone, SD
Shasta Dam; Shasta Lake, CA

Third runway at Heathrow gets the go-ahead

2016-10-25T12:30:00-04:00

Ministers approved the long-awaited decision at a cabinet committee meeting on Tuesday. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling called the decision "truly momentous" and said expansion would improve the UK's connections with the rest of the world and support trade and jobs. Although Heathrow has always been the favourite among businesses, it has attracted the most opposition from MPs with constituencies near the airport or under flight paths.

The expansion which had been publicly opposed by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Tory MP for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith and Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson has been widely debated for years.

Funded with private sector cash the new runway will cost £17.6 billion but provide 260,000 more flights with an estimated boost of £147 billion to the economy over 60 years. However, construction is unlikely to begin until 2020 at the earliest.

Read more about Heathrow and UK aviation projects here: