Airports: A Century of Architecture - Tapa dura

Since their emergence at the start of the 20th century, airports have become one of the most distinctive and important of architectural building types. Often used to symbolize progress, freedom and trade, they offer architects the chance to design on a grand scale. At the beginning of the 21st century, airports are experiencing a new and exciting renaissance as they adapt and evolve into a new type of building; one that is complete, self-contained, adaptable and catering to a new range of demands. As passengers are held in airports far longer than they used to be, they have also now become destinations in their own right. Airports celebrates the most important airport designs in the world. Beginning with an exploration of the first structures of aviation, and early designs such as the Berlin Tempelhof, the book explores the key airports of the century up to the present day, including Eero Saarinen's TWA Terminal in New York, Renzo Piano's Kansai Airport and Norman Foster's Chek Lap Kok in Hong Kong. Concepts and theories, from the imagery of flight to the vision of the airport as a city, are considered, suggesting that the likeliest outcome for the airport of the 21st century is continuing and everlasting change.

Hugh Pearman is the architecture correspondent for The Sunday Times and the author of several books, including Contemporary World Architecture (1998) and Equilibrium: The Work of Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners (2000).