Can the airport be actually lovely? Air terminals are sometimes inherently traumatic, however some amenities are merely transit factors to lift the design bar and attain level A to level B.
An annual worldwide architectural competitors introduced at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, Prix Versailles acknowledges the excellence of world industrial design. Along with probably the most lovely airports on the planet, the group additionally acknowledges constructing classes akin to campuses, railway stations, stadiums, museums, motels and eating places. The competitors, courting again to 2015, celebrates not solely aesthetic high quality, however how buildings embody innovation, cultural significance and sustainability.
In 2025, Prix Versailles named six airport terminals in 4 nations probably the most lovely on the planet. Two of them are in america. This information comes as US airports are getting a much-needed overhaul. Since 2022, US airports have obtained roughly $12 billion in investments in main infrastructure tasks, together with fashionable competitions and facilities that improve the passenger expertise.
To win the Airport Award, the judges thought-about components akin to terminal format and circulation, integration with the pure surroundings, and using native supplies and design motifs. These are six units that received the Prix Versailles Award in 2025.
Kansai Worldwide Airport (KIX) Terminal 1
Location: Osaka, Japan
First opened in 1994, Kansai Worldwide Airport (KIX) Terminal 1 was designed by the well-known Italian architect Renzo Piano. The mastermind’s blueprint features a drastic, asymmetrical roofline, which at present exists as one of many world’s longest passenger terminal buildings.
At the start of 2025, the terminal accomplished seven years of renovations, rising worldwide capability by 25%. The worldwide design firm Populous led the structure and inside design of redevelopment, streamlining passenger circulation for arrivals, and introducing extra pure supplies and sense of place. Vacationers may also expertise floor-to-ceiling glass partitions that shine gentle on the terminal and supply panoramic ocean views.
Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) Terminal 1
Rental: Marignane, France
After three years of labor and two years of closure, Terminal 1 at Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) reopened in June 2024. Designed by Foster + Companions, the Landmark Undertaking reorganizes passenger flows by simplifying the circulation of flyers from the land into the air. It could actually now accommodate 1.2 million passengers.
The up to date terminals function an inverted roof with a steady grid of glass skylights, bringing pure gentle deep into the constructing and permitting for pure air flow. (This design significantly reduces the necessity for cooling.) Giant indoor bushes had been additionally added, giving the house a way of calm and leisure.
Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX) Primary Terminal
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
In 2024, Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX) opened a state-of-the-art terminal of 1 million sq. ft. That is the primary US airport to totally embrace “biophysiological design” that develops indoor areas with the pure world in thoughts. Analysis has proven that this design philosophy can scale back stress by decreasing blood strain and coronary heart fee. Airport inspiration? Strolling by way of the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
Within the heart of the design is a mass timber roof that stretches to roughly 400,000 sq. ft. The roof supplies are sourced from native sustainable loggers and sovereign tribal teams, all inside a 300-mile radius of the airport. (Moreover, the airport comprises a newly reduce wooden scent.)
Roland Garros Airport (Run) Arrival Terminal
Rental: Island Convention, France
Roland Garros Airport (RUN) debuted its new arrival facility in early 2024, turning into the world’s first tropical biotourism airport construction. In different phrases, this design permits for pure air flow all through the constructing and incorporates a central “cany” that acts as a heated chimney.
This eco-friendly design options 830 units of shutters, every linked to sensors that modify in actual time to accommodate modifications in climate circumstances. Moreover, native vegetation, pure wooden and volcanic rocks all through the terminal join vacationers to the island’s pure magnificence.
San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO) Terminal 1
Location: San Francisco, USA
After roughly eight years of development, the ultimate phases of SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 undertaking had been accomplished in June 2024. The terminal is on the basis of SFO’s plan to realize zero carbon emissions, zero waste into landfills, zero web vitality.
Named after an brazenly homosexual elected official, the ability is broadly praised for its considerate design, eco-friendly development and deep cultural storytelling. Passengers stroll to the gate and revel in views of San Francisco Bay from huge floor-to-ceiling home windows. They usually can browse everlasting multimedia installations celebrating the heritage of milk as a civil rights icon.
Yantai Penglai Worldwide Airport (YNT) Terminal 2
Location: Yantai, China
Terminal 2 at Yantai Penlai Worldwide Airport (YNT) opened final summer time, will function a gateway from Japan and South Korea to China. Yantai is a port metropolis in Shandong province, and the reinterpretation of the hull of a wood ship throughout the terminal is impressed by the Maritime Silk Street.
The brand new facility’s drastic roofline is meant to evoke Mount Kunyu, a mountain vary close to town. Moreover, pure gentle is overflowing all through the terminals, illuminating the curves, tones and supplies that make up the inside.
