Designing authentic and engaging airport terminals

How a “sense of place” can celebrate local communities and enhance the passenger experience

Airports are the front doors and de facto representations of the cities they serve. Each offers first and last impressions to millions of visitors and a unique opportunity to connect visitors to the region’s identity.

When travelers touch down at their destination, they seek more than a functional transition — they look for ways to connect to their surroundings, and to map their journeys. The concept of place is fundamental to human experience. It is what grounds us, physically and experientially. Whether arriving, departing, or simply connecting through, airports offer passengers spaces to interpret and internalize their locale.

‘Place’ provides a tangible and intangible expression of a region’s identity, where landscape, culture and history come together in a coherent experience. The following questions should be considered when developing a ‘sense of place’ into the airport experience:

• What are new and meaningful ways terminal design can express the unique characteristics of the surrounding area?
• Where, within the terminal environment, can creative potential be maximized, and how can it be used to enhance passenger experience?

Designing for ‘sense of place’

Terminals are a balance of efficiency, security and evolving operational needs.  Yet within those functional requirements, opportunities emerge to elevate the human experience. A sense of place is not a single design move but rather the cumulative effect of architecture, materiality, light and sensory elements. The most successful airport designs embrace this complexity, embedding regional identity into the built environment in ways that feel natural rather than imposed.

• The design at the Orlando International Airport is inspired by the Everglades, where art installations in the terminal reflect that region’s natural beauty. The spaces capture the elements of water, foliage and sky with expansive glass skylights, terrazzo artist interpretations of natural springs and incredibly life-like palm and bald cypress trees.
• The Denver International Airport’s Concourse Expansion Program emphasizes an expansive outward-looking approach, leveraging the views of the Rocky Mountains. Anchored by a clean, contemporary and neutral material palette, the spaces are enclosed by generous glass curtain walls that allow for views and daylight. Public art is strategically located where changing light conditions uniquely showcase them throughout each day. For the adventurists, passengers are rewarded at the far ends of the expansions with publicly accessible outdoor decks, complete with access to the elements, comfortable seating, fire pits and mountain views.
• Throughout Tampa International Airport, more than 3,500 live plants are on display in the airport, allowing passengers to experience the biophilic character of their location and its calming effects.

Bringing sense of place to life

A well-executed sense of place can elevate the passenger experience when carefully integrated within the realities of airport operations.

Elevating the passenger experience

A well-designed airport is more than a point of transit — it is a reflection of its place, a gateway that introduces and bids farewell to a city with intention. By thoughtfully integrating a sense of place, the passenger experience can be elevated beyond efficiency, creating environments that are both functional and meaningful.

A nuanced approach helps achieve this balance between operational priorities and architectural storytelling. Every design decision — from material selection to the way light, sound and culture shape a space — contributes to how travelers experience and remember a place. When executed with purpose, an airport can become a seamless extension of the city itself.