Building an airport is a huge and costly undertaking — so much so that it represents more than just a building. The airport will be the first thing people see when arriving in a place, and the last thing they see when they leave. It’s a landmark. It tries to reflect the way the city sees itself, and how it wants to portray itself to the rest of the world.
It’s important to build something that gives you an experience. There are very few places left that put effort into architecture to make you feel something, and an airport project is big enough to make it worth it. And there really is a sense of wonder in the act of flying itself.
There are plenty of smaller airports that focus on being functional, and most of them feel like little more than glorified bus stations.
And if nothing else, a nice airport makes people feel good about flying, so they do it more often. It is a business at the end of the day.
It’s important to build something that gives you an experience. There are very few places left that put effort into architecture to make you feel something, and an airport project is big enough to make it worth it. And there really is a sense of wonder in the act of flying itself.
There are plenty of smaller airports that focus on being functional, and most of them feel like little more than glorified bus stations.
And if nothing else, a nice airport makes people feel good about flying, so they do it more often. It is a business at the end of the day.