Robert Chicas, a director of Aviation + Transportation at HOK, explains how airport design has evolved over the past 20 years and offers predictions for the future.

Can you tell us about HOK over the past 20 years?

In 2015, we will celebrate our 60th anniversary. HOK’s three founding partners all were graduates of Washington University in St. Louis and that is where the company was formed – in the heart of the US. Fast forward to today and we have 23 offices globally, with nearly 1,700 professionals across the globe. HOK has become a completely decentralized organization and our senior leaders reside in different locations worldwide.

In 1968, we experienced a turning point for HOK in aviation when we were awarded the master plan and design for the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. HOK developed the master plan and terminal diagrams for the airport as it exists today. We didn’t design all of the terminals but we established the framework that is still in place.

What started for HOK with a master planning effort in Dallas has evolved into our current position as a leader in designing major airports and terminal facilities around the world.

What is HOK’s biggest achievement in terms of the airports that the company has worked on?

One of our most important achievements is helping clients, both internationally and in the US, get as much value as possible from their investment in these facilities. The business proposition is extremely important. We have built a reputation for designing and delivering projects that are well-suited to each client and that provide them value for their investment.

We designed the new Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and have designed several airports in Asia Pacific and in the Middle East.

In the Middle East, regional positioning is an especially important driver. Cities and countries are competing to become the gateways to the Middle East. The HOK-designed Hamad International Airport Passenger Terminal Complex in Doha opened earlier this year.