Can an airport truly be beautiful? While air terminals are often inherently stressful, some facilities raise the bar on design, becoming more than mere transit points to get from Point A to Point B.
Each year, the Prix Versailles, an annual international architectural competition unveiled at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, recognizes excellence in global commercial design. In addition to the world’s most beautiful airports, the organization also recognizes categories of buildings that include campuses, train stations, stadiums, museums, hotels, and restaurants. The competition, which dates back to 2015, celebrates not only aesthetic quality but also how buildings embody innovation, cultural significance, and sustainability.
For 2025, Prix Versailles has named six airport terminals, across four countries, as the most beautiful in the world. Two of those are in the United States. The news comes at a time when U.S. airports are getting a much needed overhaul. Nearly $12 billion in federal grants has been awarded to U.S. airports since 2022 for investments that have gone toward major infrastructure projects, like modern concourses and amenities that elevate the passenger experience.
To be considered for the airport award, judges looked at factors such as a terminal’s layout and flow, integration with natural surroundings, and the use of local materials and design motifs. Here are the six terminals that won the Prix Versailles award in 2025.
Design firm Populous oversaw the recent overhaul of Kansai International Airport in Osaka, an airport that was originally envisioned by Italian architect Renzo Piano.
Courtesy of Populous/Prix Versailles
Kansai International Airport (KIX) Terminal 1
Location: Osaka, Japan
First opened in 1994, Kansai International Airport (KIX) Terminal 1 was designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano. The mastermind’s blueprint included a sweeping, asymmetrical roofline, and today, it still stands as one of the longest passenger terminal buildings in the world.
Earlier in 2025, the terminal completed a seven-year renovation, increasing international capacity by 25 percent. Global design firm Populous led the architecture and interior design of the redevelopment, streamlining the passenger flow for arrivals and introducing more natural materials and a sense of place. Travelers can also experience floor-to-ceiling glass walls that flood the terminal with light and offer panoramic views of the sea.
There are now even more reasons to go to Provence, France, including a stunning new airport terminal.
Photo by Kamel Khalfi/Courtesy of Prix Versailles
Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) Terminal 1
Location: Marignane, France
After three years of work and a two-year closure, Terminal 1 at Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) reopened in June 2024. Designed by Foster + Partners, the landmark project reorganizes passenger flows by simplifying the stream of fliers heading from land to air side and vice versa. An additional 1.2 million passengers can now be accommodated.
The updated terminal features an inverted beam roof with a continuous grid of glass skylights, bringing natural light deep into the building and allowing for natural ventilation. (This design significantly reduces the need for cooling.) Large indoor trees were also added, helping bring a sense of calm and relaxation to the space.
Portland International Airport’s new main terminal has been praised for having incorporated soothing and sustainable forest-inspired design features.
Photo by Ema Peter
Portland International Airport (PDX) Main Terminal
Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
In 2024, Portland International Airport (PDX) opened a 1 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art terminal, featuring a curved forest-like canopy with 72 floor-to-ceiling live plants and 49 skylights. It’s the first U.S. airport to fully embrace “biophilic design,” developing indoor spaces with the natural world in mind. Research has shown that this design philosophy can reduce stress by reducing blood pressure and heart rate. The airport’s inspiration? A walk in a Pacific Northwest forest.
At the center of the design is a mass timber roof that extends nearly 400,000 square feet. The roof’s materials were sourced from local sustainable loggers and sovereign tribal groups, all within a 300-mile radius of the airport. (The airport, therefore, includes the smell of freshly cut wood.)
The eco-friendly design of Roland Garros Airport incorporates natural ventilation as well as local vegetation, natural wood, and volcanic stone throughout the terminal.
Courtesy of Studio Lumière/Prix Versailles
Roland Garros Airport (RUN) Arrivals Terminal
Location: Réunion Island, France
Roland Garros Airport (RUN) debuted its new arrivals facility in early 2024, becoming the world’s first tropical bioclimatic airport structure. In other words, the design enables natural ventilation throughout the building, incorporating a central “canyon” that acts as a thermal chimney.
This eco-conscious design features 830 sets of shutters, each connected to sensors that adjust in real time to changing weather conditions. In addition, local vegetation, natural wood, and volcanic stone throughout the terminal connect travelers with the island’s natural beauty.
SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal is both easy on the eyes and on the stomach, showcasing a wide range of local eateries and coffee shops like Bunn Me and Ritual Coffee.
Photo by Karl Nielsen/Courtesy of SFO
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Terminal 1
Location: San Francisco, United States
After nearly eight years of construction, the final phase of SFO’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1 project was completed in June 2024. The terminal is at the cornerstone of SFO’s plan to become the first airport in the world to accomplish zero carbon emissions, zero waste going into landfill, and zero net energy.
The facility, the first terminal in the world named after an openly gay elected official, is widely praised for its thoughtful design, eco-friendly construction, and deep cultural storytelling. As passengers walk to gates, they’ll have views of San Francisco Bay from expansive floor-to-ceiling windows. And they can browse a permanent multimedia installation celebrating the legacy of Milk as a civil rights icon.
Yantai Penglai International Airport’s dramatic curved roof represents the nearby Mount Kunyu.
Courtesy of 404 N.F. Studio/Prix Versailles
Yantai Penglai International Airport (YNT) Terminal 2
Location: Yantai, China
Terminal 2 at Yantai Penglai International Airport (YNT), which opened last summer, serves as a gateway to China from Japan and Korea. Yantai is a port city in the Shandong province, and reinterpretations of wooden ship hulls within the terminal are inspired by the Maritime Silk Road.
The new facility’s sweeping roofline is supposed to evoke Mount Kunyu, a mountain range near the city. In addition, the entire terminal is flooded with natural light, illuminating the curves, tones, and materials that make up the interior.
