A $3.1 billion revamped American airport sets a new standard

Billions of dollars are poured into redesigning and building new airport terminals around the world. But what should an airport really be?

Portland International Airport gave its answer when it unveiled the final stage of its $US2.15 billion ($3.1 billion) transformation this month. The main airport for Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest of the US, highlighted legendary local retailer Powell’s Books, indigenous art, Oregon timber and even recreated its cult-status carpet – a geometric representation of the intersection of the north and south runways as seen by air controllers – for some areas. In other words, it made the airport unmistakably “Portland”.

In Australia, Western Sydney International will welcome its first passengers later this year, Melbourne Airport is in the middle of an expansion and major redevelopment works are nearing completion at Sydney Airport.

The world’s best airports are built on the premise that simply moving passengers from check-in to gate, with an unpleasant purgatory in between, is no longer enough. They’re creating places where travellers don’t mind spending time and might even enjoy staying awhile.

No airport has embodied that philosophy more successfully than Singapore’s Changi Airport. Its indoor gardens, waterfall, walking trails, cinemas and swimming pool have made it a destination in its own right. It attracts visitors who aren’t even catching a flight.

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Elsewhere, Seoul’s Incheon International Airport has become a vehicle for Korean culture, from traditional performances to Korean cuisine and design, while Copenhagen Airport reflects the understated elegance, natural materials and clean lines associated with Scandinavian design.

It’s this model that Portland has embraced. The redevelopment introduces dozens of local retailers and food outlets, while a restored 1958 mural by Louis Bunce, one of the Pacific Northwest’s best-known artists, connects the new terminal with the airport’s history. But its most striking feature isn’t a shop or a restaurant. It’s overhead.

Designed by Seattle and Portland-based ZGF Architects, in collaboration with HOK, the terminal is sheltered beneath a 3.6-hectare undulating timber roof, the first of its kind at a major US airport. Forty-nine skylights filter daylight through the timber lattice, creating an interior that evokes a walk beneath the forests of the Pacific Northwest rather than through an airport terminal.

The soaring, column-free spaces create long sight lines that make the terminal easier to navigate, while new north and south exit routes shorten the walk from gate to baggage claim.

Continuous terrazzo flooring makes it easier for passengers travelling with luggage, wheelchairs or prams, while generous waiting areas and large all-user toilets reflect an emphasis on comfort alongside efficiency.

Sustainability is woven into the design in a way that feels unmistakably Oregon.