As airports become increasingly complex, Deerns designs the invisible systems that make passenger experience more seamless, comfortable and resilient.
Airports are becoming some of the most complex buildings we design. They must accommodate rising passenger numbers while improving security, operational continuity, energy performance, climate resilience and comfort. At the same time, the passenger experience must remain simple, intuitive and calm. The engineering challenge is therefore not to add visible complexity, but to manage it intelligently.
At Deerns, this is closely aligned with Invisible Engineering: using environmental simulations, energy models, microclimatic analysis and building physics to guide decisions that passengers may never see but will experience.
" The result should feel natural: comfortable temperatures, good daylight, clear movement, less noise and fewer delays, supported by sophisticated systems working in the background.
From verification to design intelligence
Simulation helps to inform decisions from the earliest stages. By testing alternative layouts, façade options, shading strategies, ventilation concepts and system configurations, project teams can understand the consequences of each decision before construction begins.
This changes the conversation with airport operators. Instead of relying on assumptions, design teams can compare measurable scenarios and explain trade-offs clearly. Data can support decisions such as reducing glazing to control heat gains while maintaining good daylight or modifying a circulation route to reduce congestion without expanding the building’s footprint.
Used well, simulation tools can help airport design teams:
- Test more options earlier, when change is more affordable
- Balance operational, environmental and passenger priorities
- Create traceable decisions across disciplines
Designing for resilience and wellbeing
The need for this integrated approach is growing. ACI World forecasts that global passenger traffic will reach 10.2 billion in 2026, while travellers increasingly expect airports to be efficient, personalised and human centred. This places pressure on terminals to handle more people without becoming larger, louder or more energy intensive.
Digital systems can increase effective capacity by improving how existing space is used. Sensors, passenger-flow analysis, predictive tools, biometrics and touchless processing can reduce queues and identify congestion before it becomes disruptive. In its 2025 Air Transport IT Insights report, Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques (SITA) reports that most airports prioritise data driven decision making, showing how quickly digital coordination is becoming an operational requirement.
The airport of the future must also withstand a more demanding climate. Heatwaves, intense rainfall and periods of thermal stress can affect terminal comfort, drainage, equipment performance and continuity of operations.
" Climate simulation allows designers to test future weather scenarios rather than relying only on historic conditions.
Climate simulation supports a more resilient design response:
- Passive shading and solar control to reduce heat gains
- Drainage, permeable surfaces and landscape strategies for intense rainfall
- Adaptable systems that maintain performance under changing conditions
Passenger wellbeing is equally important. Acoustic comfort, natural light, air quality, biophilia and thermal stability all influence how stressful a journey feels. The emerging quiet terminal is not simply a quieter building; it is a more coordinated environment in which announcements, movement, lighting and spatial cues are designed to reduce sensory overload.
Learning from live airport projects
These principles are already shaping Deerns’ projects. At Naples Capodichino Airport, simulations were used to assess thermal comfort and energy loads in an existing operational terminal. Alternative scenarios helped inform decisions on layout, envelope performance and air conditioning strategies, where intervention space was limited and airport operations had to continue.
At Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport, simulation supported a wider strategy combining outdoor comfort, climate resilience and decarbonisation. Shading structures, passive ventilation, permeable paving and urban greenery were considered as active environmental measures. Renewable energy potential and photovoltaic integration were evaluated alongside embodied carbon and whole-life environmental impact.
These projects demonstrate an important shift. Airport performance cannot be reduced to a single metric such as energy consumption, passenger throughput or capital cost. The best solutions emerge by understanding how systems interact across the whole airport lifecycle.
Engineering the airport as a living system
" The next generation of terminals will be designed less as static buildings and more as living systems.
Their performance will be measured, reviewed and improved continuously as passenger behaviour, technology, climate and operational needs evolve. This requires reliable data, open platforms, robust engineering and clear governance.
Deerns brings together building physics, MEP engineering, digital systems, sustainability and airport operations to turn complex information into practical design choices. Our role is not to introduce technology for its own sake, but to use data, AI and simulation to create airports that are more comfortable, resilient, efficient and easier to operate. When engineering complexity is transformed into an intuitive passenger experience, the result is an airport that is not only smarter, but truly future-ready.
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