Denver Airport's main terminal, designed by Curt Fentress, opened in 1995 to much fanfare for its huge, tent-like roof, which is perfectly nestled against the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The architect has received numerous awards and the building itself is at the top of most North American air traveler's lists of Best Airports. Yet missing from it is a hotel (DIA is far from any hotel) and a rail link to the city's light rail system.

So Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and US design firm Gensler had their work cut out for them designing a new hotel and rail link addition the main terminal building. How could they make a large, significant addition without ruining the existing structure?

Their Character Approved design does the job elegantly and efficiently. The rail station is like many of Calatrava's train stations: beautiful and skeletal; bearing a resemblance to large, white musical instruments. The station will connect to downtown Denver, linking the entire rail system with the airport (a coup places like New York have yet to really achieve). The larger hotel mass, which Gensler designed, is split into two parts, taking its shape from both the rail station and the neighboring tent structure. Both structures offer ample spaces in which to shop whilst viewing the surrounding mountainscape. The whole is an airport any city would be proud of.

[Image: Denver Post]