Home » 2 U.S. airports on this year’s list of “Most Beautiful”

2 U.S. airports on this year’s list of “Most Beautiful”

Each year, a prestigous series of global architecture awards called the Prix Versailles are anounced at UNESCO to honor the “World’s Most Beautiful” achievements in a variety of categories.

Airports are one of those categories, along with museums, hotels, campuses, sports stadiums, restaurants , passenger stations and places to shop.

The airports that are on the list “Most Beautiful” for 2026, get the nod because they exhbit “extraordinary, distinctive architecture” and “illustrate how airports are now turning away from the old standards in order to offer the world a richer, more harmonious point of view.”

As you might imagine, competition is fierce. So, it is a big deal that this year two of the seven airports to receive the prize are from the United States.

And it turns out both U.S. winners – Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) – recently debuted new terminals.

The US Winners

(Courtesy Gensler)

PIT Airport’s terminal, designed by Gensler and HDR in association with luis vidal + architects, is praised for its “vast undulating roofline,” that is “evocative of the nearby Allegheny Mountains” and for standing as “the region’s newest emblem, symbolizing its ambitions of innovation and sustainable construction.”

Here is a bit more from the award notes on PIT Airport:

“38 steel columns shaped like trees create a familiar, warm canopy reminiscent of the region’s forests. Propped up by glass walls, the space is flooded with natural light, while four outdoor terraces will soon offer travelers access to fresh air. Representative of the region’s heritage, showcasing local artists and the new “Petal Tunnel” (inspired by the Fort Pitt Tunnel), the airport is worthy of praise for its energy efficiency, its significantly shortened passenger distances and its inclusive comfort features, making it a role model for global air travel.”

San Diego International Airport’s new Terminal 1, got the nod for rallying “the most advanced expertise to create a high-performance civic gateway, deeply attuned to San Diego’s climate, culture and regional identity.”

(Courtesy SAN; photo by Ema Peter)

The award notes for SAN highlight architecture say that the terminal “choreographs the landside-airside sequence into a seamless, intuitive procession from curb to boarding gate” and praise the terminal’s immediately iconic 800-foot-long curved glass façade developed in collaboration with the artist and architect James Carpenter. Outdoor terraces, flexible lounges and local concessions also gained SAN high marks.

(Courtesy SAN, photo by Ema Peter)

In 2025, both San Francisco International Airport Terminal 1 and Portland International Airport made the list. In 2024, Kansas City International Airport and Boston’s Logan International Airport Terminal E were on the list.