Jet Set: 8 Modern Airport Designs

Flying—as 3.55 million Americans are expected to do this Thanksgiving weekend, according to projections by AAA—can be an unpleasant slog. But it doesn't have to be. Here are eight airports whose modern design can take the edge off when it comes to holiday travel. View Slideshow Slideshow

Richard Rogers’s Terminal 4 at Madrid’s Barajas Airport is structurally familiar, but it is executed with a refreshing warmth and flair. There is nothing revolutionary in the terminal’s effective use of wood or in its vibrant, Almodóvaresque color scheme, but in the context of an airport it feels decidedly new. Here, the intent is to ease the transition from the air to the actual place.

Image courtesy of Richard Bryant/Arcaid.co.uk. View Slideshow