Airports have experienced unprecedented challenges in recent times, with the impact of major changes like Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic on top of the growing demand for international travel. With no sign of slowing down, it is important to consider how the design of airports can be futureproofed for growth, success and sustainability.

Airport terminals were once characterised by a cacophony of sound from gate announcements and plane noise to the myriad of conversations and footfall of the thousands of passengers that pass through each and every day. Achieving optimum levels of noise control in such a complex acoustic environment is a balancing act between ensuring the intelligibility of public address systems and controlling the noise of passengers whilst at the same time creating a constant level of sound that masks activities from cafes and retail outlets. What options do airport design teams have when it comes to controlling sound and ensuring the passenger experience is stress-free and greatly improved? Stuart Colam, Acoustics Advisor of SAS International, investigates.

The outer curved profiles and internal sweeping geometries of the prominent Oslo Airport extension may call to mind FC&A’s lighting feature from back in January. Those who checked in to our first issue of 2018 will recall the airport’s stunning illumination design which synchronises with Norway’s daylighting in a bid to save energy. Here, FC&A explores the Nordic – Office of Architecture-designed extension and finds out just how the scheme lives up to its appellation as ‘the world’s greenest airport’.