This Airport in Was Just Named One of the World's Most Beautiful-and It Just Won an International Architecture Award

"Guwahati International Airport (GAU), also known as Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, was just announced as one of seven winners in the International Architecture Awards 2025 for the Airports and Transportation Centers category, for a brand-new terminal that will soon debut. The airport primarily serves the northeastern corner of Assam, India. The beautiful terminal, designed by the firm Nudes Architecture, was commissioned as part of an effort to improve local infrastructure and accommodate a higher number of air travelers. The structure is inspired by Assam's natural environment, culture, and biodiversity-and particularly by orchids and bamboo. In Assam, there are more than 400 wild species of orchids, and "bamboo orchids" was the main inspiration for the airport's design brief."

"You can clearly see the leafy influence in the design-sweeping arches over open breezeways for passengers are made mostly from bamboo and other sustainable materials. Since Guwahati, India, is known as the "Gateway to the Northeast," there will be skylights to let in natural light, with huge indoor gardens and green walls throughout the building. When passengers arrive at the airport, there will be an entire "arrival forest" that travelers will go through in order to get to baggage claim."

""The airport design is more than just a transportation hub-it is a living, breathing reflection of the region's natural and cultural identity," the International Architecture Awards' website states. "It celebrates the resilience of bamboo, the grace of orchids, and the seamless integration of these two elements into a sustainable, iconic airport design.""

Guwahati International Airport (GAU) won a 2025 International Architecture Award for a new terminal designed by Nudes Architecture. The terminal aims to improve local infrastructure and handle increased passenger volumes in Assam's northeast. The design draws on Assam's natural environment, culture, and biodiversity, especially orchids and bamboo, with "bamboo orchids" as a primary inspiration. Architectural features include sweeping bamboo arches, open breezeways, skylights, large indoor gardens, green walls, and an "arrival forest" leading to baggage claim. The terminal emphasizes sustainability through bamboo and other sustainable materials while reflecting regional identity.

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