The Column: Antoinette Nassopoulos-Erickson on Aviation Design

Around 2005, Foster + Partners was appointed by the BAA (British Airports Authority) to provide architectural services to airports across the United Kingdom.

I was appointed as the lead architect because of two connected aspects of my experience. Firstly, I had recently delivered the fit out for HSBC’s headquarters in Canary Wharf, which led me to establish the Workplace Consultancy team. Secondly, I had strategic planning experience as an urban designer. My experience and skills could fit the range of skills required in aviation – from the finer details of interior finishes, through to masterplanning. I oversaw landside masterplans through to transformations at Terminal 3 and the concept design for Terminal 2.

I love the layers of complexity. Aviation design covers such a range of spaces, places, encompassing both placemaking and experience making.

Some parts of the design are strategic planning: an airport’s site, positioning, how it works within a transport network, how it might expand, absorb new technologies, and interface with the aircraft. Other parts are more experiential and consider people’s wellbeing, the retail spaces, and how the airport acts as a ‘gateway’ to the country. This must be achieved in a design that is as operationally effective, efficient, and low-carbon as possible.

We opted for a modular roof so that it would fast to construct, easier to assemble, and could be extended over time. We made sure to test this modularity so that cleaning, maintenance, and technical requirements like snow removal were incorporated.

The character of the roof is also in close conversation with the regional landscape. Poland has an amazing patchwork of long linear strips of land, formed by agricultural practice; we reflected this through the lines of a vaulted roof that follow the lines of passenger flow. This further defines the passenger experience and aids intuitive wayfinding. So, within this modular format, the idea of the vaulted roof came about – an efficient and elegant solution.

You have to think holistically. Sustainability is not only about energy use and carbon content. You also need to consider efficient construction, circularity, the material supply chain, and how to plan for resilience. We always seek to optimise the footprint of the design to make the facilities as efficient as possible, without compromising on quality or passenger experience. Compact designs that have efficient movement planning and a lowered material cost tend to be more sustainable. It all connects.

It also goes beyond the airport to green mobility. Net Zero ‘ready’ and powered by renewable electricity, CPK will also be a major rail hub that connects across Europe. This is essential in transitioning people away from the roads or short-haul flights and onto rail. We sometimes describe CPK as a railway station with an airport attached!

It’s a matrix of decision-making. Each airport must respond to the client’s needs and operational needs, as well as the place, the culture, and the climate. This leads to outcomes as varied as Techo International Airport in Cambodia, Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan, and CPK in Poland. Each airport offers its own interpretation and response to the region, and each one is recognisably of its place.

Other than our Hong Kong International Airport which is the easiest airport to navigate and, in my opinion, offers the most enjoyable  experience of air travel, I would say Templehof in Berlin. It’s a 1920s design that has since been converted to a cultural building and park. I remember flying there in the 1990s for the re-opening of the Reichstag. On the airside, there is a continuous sailing roof, where the aircraft would go up to and into the building. And then on the landside, the airport has a civic character, with a railway station directly connected to the city. It also had an underground railway connection for deliveries, so it was an early idea of logistics and connectivity – that would later be reflected our projects such as Stansted Airport. It was very ahead of its time.

Be a good listener. Listen to the client, listen to the stakeholders, understand its sense of place, and drive the sustainability agenda. Through all this, you can bring innovation and a great passenger experience and make welcoming gateways to nations.