As a frequent traveller, I have always been very familiar with airports: they are fascinating places with high volumes of constant people movement, but there are wonders and blunders among them as much as in any building type.
My wonder, Barajas airport, is an architectural masterpiece. My first reaction when I arrived there was “Wow!” I was amazed by the dynamic, wavelike geometry of the sculpted timber-clad roof and the ambience of the internal space. Hundreds of colourful, dynamically placed, engineered columns lifted my weary traveller’s spirits.
I felt surprisingly unrestricted there, with the floor opened to movement and making me feel directed, but never controlled. The layouts allow activity to take place without overcrowding, and while the spaces are vast, I never felt lost.
Its relationship to the runway is well-organised, too: the Boeing literally tucked in next to the main building. If airports can make people smile, we will have quite a few happy people on the planet. Perhaps not truly happy, but smiling at least.
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