"You don't even need the signage," says Kim Day, architect and manager of aviation at Denver International Airport of Santiago Calatrava's magnificent aviation centerpiece, completed in 2000. "The intuitive structure of the building lets you know where things are and it's so beautifully detailed." Spanish artist, sculptor and architect Calatrava's design resembles a dove about to take flight complete with ribbed concrete feathers and glimmering aluminum skin.

For more information: Aena

Despite its colossal scale, Foster + Partner's elegant design was conceived, designed and constructed in a mere four years. In just four months the team created 2,500 architectural drawings and, at the height of construction, 50,000 workers were on the site. The result is a two-mile-long masterpiece with room for 126 aircraft spaced along the neck of the concourse.

For more information: Beijing Capital International Airport

After it was commissioned in 1989, Terminal 5 finally opened in March 2008. The genius of the $8.23 billion building lies in its flexibility. Using a similar approach to that of Renzo Piano's revolutionary Pompidou Center, architect Richard Roger's design incorporates freestanding departure and arrivals areas, check-in desks, commercial space, retail, offices, and passenger lounges that can be easily dismantled and reconfigured as needed.

For more information: Heathrow International Airport

When Foster + Partners completed Chek Lap Kok international airport in 1998, it was a marvel of engineering. Built on an island 16 miles out to sea on reclaimed land at a massive cost of $20 billion, it was the most expensive (and extravagant) building ever built. Himalayan Gerkhas were employed to work on the land bridge, spinning steel cables together 60 stories above the ground. The curved roofline and uncluttered interior of the terminal pays homage to the simple aircraft hangars of old.

For more information: Chek Lap Kok Airport

Resembling an aircraft wing, this colossal $4.1 billion structure, created by Aéroports de Paris International, is no ordinary airport. Sure it's the second fastest growing airport in the world and now capable of seeing off 70 million passengers a year, but what makes it unique is the giant cargo facility handling four million tons of cargo a year.

For more information: Dubai International Airport

Opening in 2001, this airport, the brainchild of Terry Farrell & Partners, resembles a bird in flight when viewed from the air. The white stainless steel aerofoil roof and manicured garden conceal a hub of underground transport including trains, buses, car parking and more. The unique design and seamless operation has earned it recognition as the best airport in the world by aviation research company Skytrax.

For more information: Inchon International Airport

Costing a cool $1.5 billion and capable of handling 35 million people a year, Barajas airport is the largest project yet undertaken by Rogers, Stirk Harbour + Partners. Natural light illuminates the steel buttresses, each colored a slightly different shade of the rainbow to help with orientation. Ceilings soar beneath undulating rooflines. Clear signage informs passengers how much time is needed to transit to their gate lounge, but be forewarned—even with moving sidewalks, it can seem like an eternity getting from the check-in counter to your gate.

It may not be entirely new but Eero Saarinen's Terminal 5, originally completed in 1962 for now defunct carrier TWA, will receive a new lease of life thanks to Gensler architects and Jet Blue. "It's my favorite airline terminal," says architect Alan Grant, owner of Grant architects, a Los Angeles-based firm with extensive expertise in grand public works. "It heralded both an aesthetic and conceptual revolution in airport design." In an interview conducted in 1959, Saarinen said his intention was to create a space where "…all the curves, all the spaces and elements right down to the shape of the signs, display boards, railings and check-in desks were to be of a matching nature."

For more information: Terminal 5

Scheduled to open in 2010, New Doha International Airport will have an expected capacity of around 50 million passengers—though industry rumors estimate twice that capacity. Engineering company Bechter (whose portfolio includes the Hoover Dam) have been contracted to do the work and they're thinking big. The 2.64-mile-long runways (the longest in the world) and enlarged hangars and gate areas mean this will be the first airport on earth specifically designed to service the Airbus A380. Inside there are plans for an oasis of gardens, watery relaxation areas, a mosque and a separate royal terminal for the Emir of Qatar.

For more information: New Doha International Airport

Due to be completed in 2015, Italian architects Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas' Chinese masterpiece has shed new light on airport design… literally. The computer renderings show a unique double skin and transparent roof that allows daylight to filter through a fine patterned canopy, reducing energy consumption and illuminating the gate lounges while providing much needed points of orientation.

For more information: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport