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Fentress Architects: The Future of Airports as Civic Spaces
Published by Gbaf News
Posted on May 23, 2018
5 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
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Published by Gbaf News
Posted on May 23, 2018
5 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
The European Cultural Centre and Global Art Affairs Foundation invited Fentress Architects and North Carolina State University College of Design to participate in the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale May 26-November 25, 2018, at the historic Palazzo Bembo.
>Architecture students from North Carolina State University College of Design will join Fentress at the Palazzo Bembo to present their designs for airports of the future. Fentress has been guiding students in preparation for the exhibition, which allows 11 students to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Italy for the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture. Their designs will be featured in the “Time Space Existence” exhibit, offering the public a glimpse at the future of airport design. The students are participating in an Airport Design course with Principal in Charge of Design Curt Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, and Alumni Distinguished Professor of Architecture Wayne Place, Ph.D. that focuses on designing airports that reflect the context and culture of their location.
Fentress helped create the NC State University College of Design airport design studio in 2013. The studio focuses on airports as a building type that establishes civic spaces. Students are challenged to design airports for various locations around the world. As part of this process, student design teams research the culture, climate, and terrain of their chosen location. By the end of the course, students know how to implement flexible design strategies to create world-class airports that reflect a sense of place.
Curt Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, is an alumnus and valuable supporter of the College of Design. “It’s very exciting to see how these architectural minds are transforming the future of airport design,” says Curt Fentress. Graduate student Cameron Westbrook, who is currently participating in the studio, says, “It’s been a good experience to work with Fentress Architects. It’s been eye-opening because there’s so much technology and so much planning to incorporate within the early stages of designing an airport. It can be overwhelming, but it also puts us in a position to want to know more. They [Fentress] are also very encouraging.”
Invited by the European Cultural Centre and Global Art Affairs Foundation, Fentress Architects will return to the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture to present Now Boarding – Fentress Architects: Airports as Civic Spaces. Fentress made its debut at the Biennale in 2016 with its Now Boarding exhibition, celebrating the past, present, and future of airport design. This year the firm’s exhibition will feature airports as civic spaces, showcasing the concept of humanism flowing through airports. Through the use of film, photographs, and models, the exhibition showcases the transformation of the passenger experience in contemporary airport design. The concept of airports as civic spaces is explored through Fentress designs for five airport terminals:
The European Cultural Centre and Global Art Affairs Foundation invited Fentress Architects and North Carolina State University College of Design to participate in the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale May 26-November 25, 2018, at the historic Palazzo Bembo.
>Architecture students from North Carolina State University College of Design will join Fentress at the Palazzo Bembo to present their designs for airports of the future. Fentress has been guiding students in preparation for the exhibition, which allows 11 students to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Italy for the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture. Their designs will be featured in the “Time Space Existence” exhibit, offering the public a glimpse at the future of airport design. The students are participating in an Airport Design course with Principal in Charge of Design Curt Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, and Alumni Distinguished Professor of Architecture Wayne Place, Ph.D. that focuses on designing airports that reflect the context and culture of their location.
Fentress helped create the NC State University College of Design airport design studio in 2013. The studio focuses on airports as a building type that establishes civic spaces. Students are challenged to design airports for various locations around the world. As part of this process, student design teams research the culture, climate, and terrain of their chosen location. By the end of the course, students know how to implement flexible design strategies to create world-class airports that reflect a sense of place.
Curt Fentress, FAIA, RIBA, is an alumnus and valuable supporter of the College of Design. “It’s very exciting to see how these architectural minds are transforming the future of airport design,” says Curt Fentress. Graduate student Cameron Westbrook, who is currently participating in the studio, says, “It’s been a good experience to work with Fentress Architects. It’s been eye-opening because there’s so much technology and so much planning to incorporate within the early stages of designing an airport. It can be overwhelming, but it also puts us in a position to want to know more. They [Fentress] are also very encouraging.”
Invited by the European Cultural Centre and Global Art Affairs Foundation, Fentress Architects will return to the 2018 Venice Biennale of Architecture to present Now Boarding – Fentress Architects: Airports as Civic Spaces. Fentress made its debut at the Biennale in 2016 with its Now Boarding exhibition, celebrating the past, present, and future of airport design. This year the firm’s exhibition will feature airports as civic spaces, showcasing the concept of humanism flowing through airports. Through the use of film, photographs, and models, the exhibition showcases the transformation of the passenger experience in contemporary airport design. The concept of airports as civic spaces is explored through Fentress designs for five airport terminals:
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