According to Dezeen, these airports use anything from timber, solar panels and modular constructions among other things, in order to limit their environmental impact.

Zurich Airport will have a timber-made terminal

Dock A in Zurich Airport, Switzerland is a project conducted by Danish architecture company BIG and the US architecture and engineering firm HOK. The two companies will collaborate in order to build a mass-timber terminal and control tower at the airport of Zurich, which should open sometime in 2032.

Photo source: BIG

The structure of the building will be composed of giant V-shaped timbers that will be sourced locally, while the terminal will also use wood for its floor and ceiling.

Jewel Changi Airport hosts the biggest indoor waterfall in the world

Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore is another beautiful terminal focused a lot on nature and sustainability.

The airport's main features include the world's tallest indoor waterfall and a lot of plants that help with regards to carbon capture and that provide fresh oxygen for the visitors.

singapore

Photo source: Jewel Changi Airport

The 40-meter-tall waterfall, which is called Rain Vortex, gets the required water from Singapore's frequent rains, and by falling down seven stories, it helps with cooling down the air inside the building.

The water is captured at the bottom and reused later, making the building truly sustainable and environmentally friendly.

One of the largest airports in the world, inspired by marine life

The Beijing Daxing International Airport is another beautiful piece of architecture. Being shaped like a starfish, the 700.000 square meter building is one of the largest airports in the world.

zaha hadid

Photo source: Zaha Hadid

Designed by Zaha Hadid, one of the most well-known arcihtects in the world, the building was completed in 2019 and it is powered by solar panels, recovers wasted heat through a ground-source pump and collects rainfall for later use.

Guadalajara Airport, perforated roof for natural ventilation

T2 terminal at Guadalajara International Airport in Mexico is another building designed with sustainability in mind.

When completed, the building will make use of solar panels, natural shading and light and ventilation will be provided via a perforated wooden roof.

guadalajara

Photo source: CallisonRTKL

This should reduce its environmental footprint compared to similar buildings, so say the architects.

CallisonRTKL representatives say that "multiple environmental strategies reduce energy use by 60 per cent and the carbon footprint of the project by 90 per cent, equivalent to planting 27,300 trees every year."

The sustainable airport in the middle of the desert

Red Sea International Airport is a project developed by Foster and Partners, which aim to build the huge terminal in the Saudi desert.

They want the building to achieve the LEEDS Platinum sustainability score, being powered exclusively by renewable power.

saudi desert

Photo source: Foster and Partners

The airport will be built around a main building, where five dune-like capsules will provide better energy efficiency and will allow parts of the complex to be shut down entirely if demand is low.