Top-notch architecture, earthquake safety, terror avoidance, eco-friendliness – there are a lot of demands on today’s airports. Take a look at how developers around the globe are coping

Airports aren’t necessarily the most relaxing places in the world. With increasing security and the heightened threat of terrorism, not to mention stringent check-in requirements and the increasing numbers of passengers, air travel has become more an uncomfortable necessity than an exciting opportunity. The situation isn’t going to improve any time soon — the Airports Council International forecasts that 7 billion passengers will use the world’s airports by the year 2020, even though at the current pace of construction, airports would only be able to process 6 billion. However, some nations are rising to the challenge – last year, China announced plans to construct 48 new airports in addition to work already underway for Beijing opening in time for next year’s Olympic Games. Some markets have hired big-name architects to come up with grand design statements; others are harnessing less visually obvious sustainable principles to diminish the impact of air travel on the environment. Here we have a look around the world to see what’s flying in airport design.

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