Infrastructure is more than roads, airports, or bridges, it is the framework that shapes how we live, move, and interact with our environment. Today, designers are challenging traditional notions of utility, exploring ways infrastructure can also restore ecosystems, celebrate culture, and inspire communities.
In Albania, the proposed Vlora International Airport by XPLAN Studio envisions travel as a symbol of national identity and global dialogue, while Lithuania’s Vilnius Airport Terminal by Aplan integrates efficiency with a distinctive sense of place. In China, POA Architects’ Binhai Water Plant Industrial Park merges ecological innovation with cultural symbolism, highlighting sustainability as part of design.
Saudi Arabia’s VOW Urban Pedestrian Hub reinterprets bridges as lively, multi-level public spaces, and Iran’s Blue Health Station uses river restoration to create environments that nurture wellbeing. Meanwhile, Massive Form’s Glass Bridge in Pennsylvania experiments with materials to expand architectural possibilities, and Italy’s Nuovo Bernasconi transforms mountain infrastructure into a remote, off-grid retreat.
These visionary projects reveal a new understanding of infrastructure, one where movement, nature, and human experience intersect. They invite us to imagine a world where functional spaces also inspire, heal, and connect. 
Source: archdaily.com with additional information added by Glass Balkan
